Tears of Moonlight
by SingingBlues
Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore he would bring him back, even if it meant costing his own life. Yullen.
1. Prologue: Leave

**Title: Tears of Moonlight**

Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore that he would bring him back, even if it meant costing his own life.

Pairing: Yullen, maybe LavixLenalee (in later chapters)

Genre: Drama/Romance

Hints of angst in this story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM.**

* * *

**Prologue: Leave**

Faint footsteps were heard. The moonlight entered the meditating room through the window situated at the top as the door creaked softly, opened.

"Kanda..."

A shadow approached the sleeping one on the straw mat as he knelt down beside him, his hand slowly reaching out to his face.

"Kanda, you know, I really enjoy the days staying with you every night. I know that I have not made the wrong decision after all." He murmured as his warm breath touched the cool skin of him, making him stirred slightly. He slowly touched his hair and brushed them between his fingers in a slow motion, wanting to remember how it felt like combing his hair with his fingers. He smiled. His hair was soft and smooth, like the skin of a baby. He then wondered what shampoo did he used to wash his beautiful hair to maintain it.

"I do not regret...my feelings for you, Kanda. It hurts, but I do not regret it." The soft whistles of the wind filled the room as his fringe fluttered slightly in the air.

"You would always give me a frown look whenever I disrupt your meditation, and I just do not care, wanting to stay with you. At that time, you are really super angry, and tried to chase me out of the room, but I would always insist on staying here. Staying with you." His index finger gently slid down from his eye to his nose, and to his lips. He stopped.

"But...this would be the last one."

Tears dropped onto his face, as they shimmered brightly in the clear moonlight. The hand continued to caress that beautiful face gently, wiping away the tears, but more seemed to come as they fell onto his face, drop by drop. He gave up cleaning those tears as he began to weep silently, not wanting anyone to know that he was here, crying.

"This would be the last one, Kanda. I promise." The weeping gradually stopped. He brushed away his long silvery strands away from his face as he stood up, staring at him once more. His heart wrenched greatly every second as he peered at the silent one, who was not aware that he had come here.

For the first time, he was glad that he was asleep. He knew that he did not like people to disturb him whenever he was meditating. He knew that he would always be pissed off whenever he stopped by here and annoyed him. He knew that no matter how he chided and scolded him, he would never chase him away.

And he knew that he would not mind at all.

"Goodbye, Kanda. And from here, it ends."

* * *

"There are signals that the enemy is here!"

"That is...Allen Walker?!?"

"Why is he with them?!?"

"Emergency! Emergency! Enemy sighted outside the Black Order! All available Exorcists please move out immediately! I repeat..."

* * *

"Get out of the way!" Lenalee shouted as she, Lavi and Kanda were rushing along the corridor once they had heard the announcement through their golems. People around them were in a panic state, as everyone was too shocked by the news that they ran around like a stampede, wanting to escape. Lenalee activated her Innocence as she flew in the air and blasted through, while Lavi extended his Innocence hammer and Kanda grabbed hold of the hammer and went together with him. The whole Order was in chaos as Exorcists and those who were currently available were giving directions on where they should go, as well as to calm those who were in a frantic state.

"Nii-san!" Lenalee shouted as Komui looked up and noticed her sister.

"Lenalee!"

"Nii-san, tell me where he is!"

"He..." Komui's words trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"You know that! We want to see him! Where is he? Where is he, nii-san?!?" Lenalee shouted. Komui stumbled backwards slightly, taken aback.

"Calm down, Lenalee," Lavi comforted, as he put his hand gently on her shoulders.

"Oi, tell us, Komui!" Kanda said, getting impatient.

"But...!"

"Komui, if you don't tell us, Allen may not come back to us forever! Please, you have to tell us where he is!" Lavi exclaimed. Komui had a grimace look on his face before he let out a sigh and nodded his head.

"He's...at the cliff behind this building."

* * *

The evening grey sky was slightly darker than usual. Grey clouds hovered in the sky, gathering at the middle of the moon which had started to ascend up the sky. Thunder rumbled softly inside those dark clouds that was travelling along the seas of blue.

"Who are you?" Lenalee's eyes widened, not believing what she had heard.

"Allen, it's us! Have you forgotten us? Why are you with the enemy?" The wind swept past the trees and greenery in the moonlight, as leaves fluttered up in the air, swirling in graceful circles.

It was a full moon. Though the moon was partially covered by the dark clouds, they were very sure that the moon was full, seeing the shape of it. At the middle of the moon, there were black figures floating in the sky. It was so obvious that he was at the middle, having his white protective coat of Crown Clown that distinguished him from the rest of the group, but the only difference was that the eyes were dark golden in colour instead of the light grey orbs that twinkled.

"Why...Why did this happen? Why...Allen, I know you would not give up on yourself! You have said that to me before! Can't you remember? Can't you remember...the memories that the four of us have shared..." Lenalee choked as tears began to stream out of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She just shook her head and mumbled something under her breath, hiding her face from everyone's view.

"Allen, please....please remember us, Allen..." She could not comprehend why. Why Allen, one of their friends, chose to side the enemy and cut all ties with them? Why must it be Allen?!?

"Lenalee..." Lavi murmured, looking at her. He knew that she was in pain, seeing her friend submitted himself to his fate. He closed his eyes for a while before he stared at the night sky. He knew that feeling very well. It was even excruciating than any kind of physical injury that they had in battle or training.

"Allen, what are you doing? Can't you recognise us?! Allen!" Lavi turned to the tall figure beside him, who had his katana strapped at his waist.

"Yuu, say something! Don't just stand there!"

"Ne, he is not your Allen anymore!" Road shouted happily, giggling. Tyki just gave a smile, seeing how she had enjoyed herself.

"Aww, my dear Rhode, you don't need to be so cruel towards them. Afterall, it's their last meeting." The dark blue-haired girl just gave him a pout and stuck out her tongue, swinging her arms as she hopped up to his shoulders.

"No, this is where it starts to get exciting. Don't you think so, Tyki?" She sniggered softly with her teeth together, emitting out an eerie laughter. Tyki just peered at her sideways and sighed. That girl just loved to enjoy the sensation of people's torment, especially when they showed how desperate they were, crying silently and weakly for anyone to save them from their misery. He turned to look at the emotionless one joining them, before looking at the ones below. He covered part of his face with his gloved hand as his lips curved into a devilish smile. Those desperate pleads from those lowly humans just made him tremble with excitement even more as he controlled his inner dark self from overcoming his white current self. Tyki's eyes narrowed.

How fascinating. How _fascinating_.

"I don't care." Lenalee and Lavi turned to him, shocked. Lavi gritted his teeth tightly as he stomped up to his friend and gripped his collar of his Exorcist uniform.

"Don't tell me that you also have already given up on him, Yuu?!?" The bookman junior hissed softly and dangerously, glaring at the other.

"Stop it, Lavi!" Lenalee cried, but Lavi did not hear her.

"Of all people, you should not be the one abandoning him! You should very well know that." Kanda just glared at Lavi, clasping on his wrist tightly.

"Let me go, baka usagi. To me, he is just a weakling. And today, he has already shown me his resolve, that is to show me how weak he is. Such people like him are just trash who deserves no one's sympathy." The raven spat out those cold and heartless words without battling an eyelid. Lenalee's eyes widened in shock at what Kanda had just said. Lavi punched him right at his face without hesitation, sending the raven crashing to a nearby tree. Kanda's body was hunched back a little before he straightened himself, cleaning away the blood on his lips. Lenalee stood between the two of them to prevent the dispute from continuing.

"Stop it, the both of you! Fighting does not solve the problem here! Please...stop." She pleaded in a whisper, slumping down on the ground, sobbing. No one said anything. Kanda just stood where he was, while Lavi slammed his fist hardly onto a tree, sending many leaves falling. Blood started to surface as the bruises at his knackles, but he did not care.

"Ah la, they are fighting." Rhode sang as she swung Relo, the Earl's umbrella. The poor one was screaming for her to stop, but she did not seem to have heard its cries as she peered at the calm one at the middle. That silver-haired boy did not utter a word ever since he called for them. He was with them, but by his eyes, she could tell that deep inside him, it was empty. His memories and his usual emotions were gone. He was not the Allen that she met when they were fighting again. Though the one with them was him, but it felt like he was a different person.

Somehow, this feeling was weird, and it just gave her the shivers.

"Shall we go?" The three of them turned to the sky once again as Allen finally spoke something. The twins sniggered softly to each other as Rhode and Tyki just grinned. The Earl opened Relo as the group was starting to drift further away from their positions.

"Wait, Allen! Allen, don't go!" Lenalee screamed as she started to run, trying to chase after them, but Lavi stopped her before her feet stepped out of the cliff. Her hand was stretched out as far as possible, hoping that she could at least grab hold of his disappearing shadow, but realisation hit her as she knew that it was impossible. At the moonlight, though they were seen to be near to them, but the actual distance was just too great. Just...too great.

It was the worst. Allen was not coming back.

"Why...why..." She muttered, her body trembling from the shock and fear that this might happen. Her other hand gripped onto the middle of her chest as tears just continued to drip down, staining her clothes. She then covered her face with both hands as she broke down, crying as hard as she could, hoping that this would be just a dream, and everything would go back to normal again. Everyone would be together, eating, training, laughing...

"Why?!" She screamed out, as her pained voice travelled through the stale air.

Rain started to fall as the lightning flashed across the dark-red sky, their shadows flashed momentarily on the damp ground as the thunder rumbled lowly. Heavy raindrops pelted down onto their bodies like heavy weights as the three of them just stayed at their positions, not intending to move. Memories began to replay once more in their minds, with the accompaniment of more flashes of lightning and booms of thunder.

"Why? WHY?!?" Lenalee lifted her head and screamed.

That string of bond that connected the four of them together snapped. What remained was nothing but emptiness that accompanied them for the whole silent night.

-

Please. Give me some reviews and advice on my first chapter. Thanks :D


	2. Regrets, Recollections, Resolve

**Title: Tears of Moonlight**

Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore that he would bring him back, even if it meant costing his own life.

Pairing: Yullen, maybe LavixLenalee (in later chapters)

Genre: Drama/Romance

**Warning: **Hints of angst in this chapter!

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM.**

* * *

**Chapter1: Her regrets, His recollections, His resolve**

_Who are you?_

Those words...they echoed in her head. Again and again.

_Who are you?_

It was endless. It would not stop. No matter how she screamed for it to stop, it would not stop.

_Who are you?_

It could not be stopped, because it had happened. It had turned into a reality, something that could not be avoided. It could not be rubbed away just by erasing it using a plain eraser.

The air started to stir. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply for the first time in her life. She opened her mouth, and after a few minutes, started to speak.

"Allen...kun..."

It had been a while since she called him his name with a 'kun' behind. Previously, she addressed him this way, because he was her junior, and it was part of courtesy and respect too. To her, Allen would always her little brother, someone who she would protect with her life to make sure that he was safe.

That was when she had just met him. After working with him for years, the 'kun' was gradually forgotten, and she did not even realise it till Lavi pointed out to her about it. And when the redhead told her, she was rather surprised at her own actions, and laughed at herself for not noticing it.

Somehow, calling him 'Allen' instead of 'Allen-kun' did not have much difference. It should sound a little different. Maybe it was because she had called him so many times that it had become a habit, and habits cannot be changed in a day or two.

"Allen...kun..." She sat on her bed, both feet rubbing together as she tried to remember how it felt like saying 'Allen-kun' again. Lenalee bit her lip as she repeated that name again and again, adding a 'kun' behind, but every word seemed so hard to say it out, stuck halfway at her throat. Her voice gradually turned shaky as she shut her eyes, controlling the tears from escaping, but somehow the tear just found a way to escape as it flowed down her face. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it tightly, burying her face inside.

She wanted to forget everything. She wanted to imagine that this was only an illusion meant to scare them. She wanted to envision this as a mere nightmare that was not reality. She wanted to erase that fateful moment when she herself witnessed that silvery shadow disappearing in her eyes.

"Allen..." Lenalee whimpered between sobs, lost in her sorrow.

If she had noticed that Allen was acting weird, this would not have happened. If she had noticed, she would stay by his side no matter what, giving him warmth and telling him that everyone would be standing at his side, supporting him, no matter what was going to happen. If she had noticed and done something to it, maybe...just, maybe...Allen would not leave them after all...

"Lenalee," Several knocks on the door was heard. Lavi was outside, calling her. She groaned softly as her face was still hidden inside the pillow, reluctant to go and answer the door. Her mind was in a whirl, and she could not think properly. She wanted more than anything to get Allen back again, but it would be like searching a needle over a haystack, now that their base was unknown after Edo had been completely destroyed during the last battle.

"Lenalee! Can you hear me? Are you in there?" She laughed silently as tears began to flow down her face again. She realised that she had been crying over and over again ever since Allen had left, which was a few hours ago. All her body reacted was to cry. It was just pathetic.

_"Lenalee! Lenalee, look at me! Look at me, Lenalee!" _

She remembered at that time when they were walking up the stairs to the top of the building in the Ark, meeting the Noahs. Though she firmly believed that everything would be okay, she started to waver when Kanda and Krory did not return to them after their previous battles. No matter how she wanted to hide those feelings, her body just showed it. Tears began to well up her eyes, and she was trembling. Fear controlled her mind and consciousness, and she thought she was lost forever.

_"Everything would be alright! We will all walk out of this place together! I would make sure that this happens! So for now, let's believe in everyone!"_

It was at that time, Allen shook her awake, reassuring her that everything would be alright. As they walked along the darkness that seemed so black that they could not see, Allen was their guiding light that shone a path out of this darkness. With him, all fear was lost. All insecurities had vanished. He remained, clearing the cloud of darkness that blurred their visions. No matter how torn and broken he was, his resolve remained strong, like a weak candle flame that would not be put out easily.

The knockings were getting impatient. Lenalee finally got down the bed and walked towards the door, opening it. Lavi stood there, a worried look on his face.

"I thought something has happened inside. Are you okay, Lenalee?" The girl responded by nodding her head. Lavi smiled as he closed in to her and hugged her gently, to her surprise.

"Lavi?" Lenalee asked, her arms hanging in the air, not sure whether to return the hug or not. The older teen did not reply, as they just stayed on like this for a moment. Her eyes widened as she realised that Lavi was shaking. She did not know that Allen's absence would cause him to be this upset. She put her arms around his neck as her head rested on his shoulder, patting him.

"Sorry," He muttered softly.

"Why do you need to say sorry?"

"I...I cannot believe that I'm this useless." His heavy head drooped down onto her shoulder which supported it.

"It's not your fault that this happens. No one...no one could stop him from leaving. It's...his own decision," She replied, as she hugged him tighter, wanting to forget what she had just said just now.

"His own decision?" Lavi repeated, stunned and dazed. It was the first time he, who was going to be a Bookman, was in such a messed state. He wanted so badly to save his friend. He wanted so desperately to pull him out of the darkness he created, but somehow, he could not think calmly and rationally.

As he closed his eyes, he could vividly remember each and every one of their expressions when they returned.

It was...beyond description.

* * *

A moment of silence.

They were staring at them. They did not say a word. There was no need of explanations. Everything was shown right in front of their eyes clearly. They were there. The three of them safely came back, but the small shadow of the remaining one did not return.

There was no laughter, no jokings, no cheery voice...nothing. He slowly vanished from their memories, like a piece of fragile paper slowly reducing into ashes and flew away silently into the gust of wind.

Slowly, after a few minutes, they heard sounds of sobbings and weepings. People just knew what had happened. They knew what was going to happen next, but they chose to run away from reality. When Lenalee, Lavi and Kanda went to search for him, they closed their eyes, and forced a smile from their bottoms of their hearts. They thought of nothing, nothing but the smiles and warmth brought to them by that only special boy who had the power to spread happiness and warmth to them. Past-time memories continued to play in their heads as a form of reassurance. They forced themselves to agree that the situation would be reversed. It would be. It would surely be.

That Allen would definitely come back.

But in the end, what greeted them was more despair and sorrow. The mere betrayal of him totally crushed their only light and hope in their hearts which were already broken. The wounds that were bore by him, would never heal again.

* * *

"Lavi?" Lenalee's voice brought him back to reality. Lavi forcefully gulped down his saliva that seemed to be stuck between his throat, swallowing the fear that was overpowering him. For the first time, he felt totally helpless and weak.

"But the most surprised one was Inspector Leverrier, who had that incredulous look on his face. I almost wanted to laugh out loud at that time!" He laughed dumbly like some particular madman, again and again. Lenalee's eyes softened at this, as they gradually closed.

"Lavi..."

"Is there...nothing we can do?" Lenalee's eyes opened again as her heart thumped hardly. She squeezed his shoulders more tightly than before.

"But most of all, that baka Yuu disappeared after we have returned to the Order! I still have not scolded him for talking such things about Allen at that time! That bastard!" Lavi grumbled and muttered some things about Kanda and how he was angry at his behaviour just now. Lenalee just peered at the floor, as she gradually recalled what the raven samurai had spoken previously. Her eyes narrowed sadly.

_"Let me go, baka usagi. To me, he is just a weakling. And today, he has already shown me his resolve, that is to show me how weak he is. Such people like him are just trash who deserves no one's sympathy." _

Suddenly, realisation dawned on her.

"Kanda...he is really very angry at Allen." Lavi stopped his mumblings as he heard her.

"What?" Lenalee simply giggled softly, her eyes softened.

"He...really cares for Allen. A lot."

* * *

_"Of all people, you should not be the one abandoning him! You should very well know that!" _

Kanda sat in the middle of the meditating room, clearing his thoughts in his head. He tried to think calmly, but unwanted thoughts just entered his mind, making him confused. In the end, the raven samurai gave up and opened his eyes, staring above the ceiling.

Of all times, it had to be that beansprout invading his head. Kanda grunted in frustration as he lay down, putting both of his arms behind his head. He was surprised that his meditation failed for the first time. Nothing had ever distracted him that much that he could not concentrate. He let down his long hair as he sighed, closing his eyes.

_"Kanda, why are you here late in the night?" Allen somehow had wandered to the meditation room and found him there. He found that boy irritating as he snorted in reply, hoping that Allen would just go away and leave him in peace, but that naive boy did not seem to understand what he meant and entered the forbidden room._

_"Ne, what are you doing, Kanda?" He asked, curiosity written all over his face as he peered at him rather closely, to his displeasure._

_"Meditating," He replied with his eyes closed, though he wondered why he had answered that idiot's question._

_"Oh, I see," He said, before silence filled the room. He opened his eyes and found a pair of silver eyes staring back at him._

_"Why are you staring at me?" Allen just blinked as he laughed softly and shook his head, turning to the other side. He just raised his eyebrow before he closed his eyes once more, resuming his meditation. He did not know why that idiot moyashi would be out here at this hour, but he just assumed that he was hiding from that stalker hired by a certain annoying inspector._

_"Ne, Kanda. Can I come here to watch you meditate?"_

_"Why?"_

_"No reason. I just...want to watch you."_

_Kanda..._

He snapped open his eyes and turned around, very sure that there was someone talking to him, but when he turned, no one was there. Kanda stared at the empty space where he used to occupy for a moment. His hand slowly felt the cold space on the floor, where he used to lay there and watch him meditate.

Without Allen here, it felt exceptionally empty and hollow.

He slowly turned his body back to the previous position, his head facing the ceiling. Many thoughts about Allen came to him, from the day he met him till the day the two of them sparred with one another. He knew very well that the boy wanted recognition from him. Since the first day, he always thought of him as 'weak, useless and powerless' person, having the naive thought that he could kill enemies and save innocents at the same time. As days went by, he felt that Allen was getting stronger, and he was even appalled that he could synchronise with his Innocence beyond 100 percent, thus becoming a General, but deep in his heart, he knew that he could never have acknowledged him, because his pride would never allow him to do so.

He did not know why he had felt so lost. When he found out that Allen was joining the enemy, he felt a hard pang in his ribs, making him hard to breathe for a split second. What was that idiot moyashi to him? Actually, he was not his friend in the starting place, so why would he feel so hurt when he left them?

Hurt. What was hurt? What in the world was hurt? Was it that pained feeling that triggered humans to remember memories that they hid in the darkness they created, or was it something that could replace the emptiness in their hearts?

But he knew. He knew what hurt was. He knew it so well, that he slowly began to forget this word. There was no need to remember, if it happened in his life everyday. He had suffered since he was borne. His whole clan was massacred, and that person gave him a curse as punishment to pay for their sins, wanting him to remember the horrifying, piercing screams of those vulnerable ones being killed innocently, by his own hands. In order to separate himself from the bond that he badly wanted to break, he had to set off on a journey, becoming stronger, more emotionless and merciless. His sword was stained with blood of many; so many, that he could not even remember who he had killed. Emotions would only get in his way, and by abandoning them would he forget what had happened that once tore his whole life away.

_Those eyes_. Kanda's eyes narrowed as he slowly clenched his hands tightly.

That dull and empty eyes...were mixed with pools of emptiness, loneliness, lost and hatred. Those eyes...reminded him of his past self when he was being detested and cursed. They seemed to have captured the days when he, the useless and pathetic one, was kneeling down in front of _him_, begging for mercy.

And most of all, he could not believe that he, who had promised to Lenalee and Lavi right at their faces, left and joined the Millennium Earl. He was there, and had witnessed everything. Of course, regarding him as his friend, Allen promised him too, but he did not really give a damn about it. As long as he did not cause trouble to the Black Order, he could do anything as he pleased.

The most shocking thing was, he bothered to listen to those useless words attentively. And the worse was, he actually believed in every bit of nonsense that he had said.

Kanda stood up and pulled the side doors open. After a few minutes, he closed the doors and left.

If he left, he would leave in search of him. As long as he was not dead, he would definitely find him.

If he refused to say anything, he would smack him hardly at his face till his mouth bled.

If he refused to acknowledge them, he would beat the hell out of him to wake him up.

If he refused to return, he would forcefully drag him back.

Even if it meant fighting with him.

Because...he was going to bring him back.

* * *

Hey everyone! This is the second chapter of this story! I apologise for the spelling, grammar and vocabulary mistakes. I did not have the time to check this chapter due to my strained time that was mostly spent on my studies T.T I finally realise that I have LOTS of catching up to do for the business modules that I am currently taking up now, and worse, I have not touched on my Japanese homework which is due tomorrow! *sigh* but I feel a little tinge of happiness lingering in me when I type this chapter, so my stress is temporarily reduced. Temporarily...I'm afraid ):

Okay, maybe this chapter is not as good as the 1st chapter... T.T

Anyways! Please review and give me advice on this chapter!! Thanks :D


	3. Mission

**Title: Tears of Moonlight**

Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore to bring him back, even if it cost his life. Yullen.

Pairing: Yullen, LavixLenalee(in future chapters)

Genre: Drama/Romance

**Warnings: **Angst and...a little humor inside? xD

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM.**

* * *

**Chapter2: Mission**

"What are you trying to say, Komui?" Leverrier asked sternly as the leaders and Generals were having a meeting in the conference room.

"Allen might be forced to join the enemy, so we cannot judge that he is a traitor immediately, Inspector!" Komui exclaimed, but those words fell on deaf ears as Leverrier turned to him and frowned.

"When he did not recognise his friends when the three of them went to find him? What _does _this mean then?" Komui's eyes widened before he lowered his head, speechless. Leverrier cleared his throat before he continued, "From his action, it have been proven that he joins the enemy of his own accord and will thus be treated as an enemy. This has been agreed by the Vatican."

"But!"

"Stop it, Komui. At this rate, you cannot prove anything. Didn't Lenalee say that he decided to leave on his own?" Bak said as he stopped him from saying further. The Supervisor looked at him before he covered his fatigue face by his hand and sat back down on his seat, sighing. The others sitting around the table did not say anything. Leverrier looked around, making sure that no one was talking, before he cleared his throat and continued his announcement.

Komui stared at him at the corner of his dark seething violet eye, feeling an infinite amount of anger rising up his body. His hands hidden from view were shaking uncontrollably. He gripped his white coat tightly to stop the shakings, as he gave a forceful smile to everyone to show that he was alright.

"Missions still have to go on, even if one of our comrades has joined the enemy! From this incident, it has told us that the enemy is going to strike again, so we must not let our guard down at all costs, especially since that the Fourteenth is able to deceive us that easily by fooling us with his innocent smile..."

"What in the world are you talking about, Inspector?!? His real identity is Allen Walker, not the Fourteenth! He is just one of the unfortunate children chosen to suffer the sins of the Noahs!" Komui said loudly as he stood up by his feet immediately, startling the others. General Tiedoll just peered at the Supervisor and nodded his head gently, sharing the same sentiments. The monkey of General Klaud jumped around the woman's shoulders, screeching in happiness while General Sonako did not say a word at his seat.

Leverrier paused for a moment, before he turned to the one who interrupted his speech and gave a warning glare to stop his atrocious behaviour.

"You mean, _was._" The Inspector corrected him. "There is no doubt that he has joined the Millennium Earl as the Fourteenth, and this is the truth which you must accept."

Bak managed to stop Komui in time before he could have the chance to say another word.

"Stop it, Komui! You and I know that we do not have the chance to talk back to the Inspector! We may even have to watch our backs if we still want to live. Talking back to him means going against the Vatican. You should know how that guy influences the Vatican till they put all trust in him." Bak warned as he whispered those words to Komui. Komui glared at him hardly this time, but Bak forced him to sit back down as he profusely apologised to the inspector who was narrowing his eyes

"So, what should we do then?" General Tiedoll raised his hand and asked.

"For now, since the Fourteenth has joined the Millennium Earl, this matter is closed. We shall not pursue any further. However, if by any chance should he return, we will treat him as an enemy, and eliminate him." Komui's eyes widened in shock at this statement. Should he be celebrating in joy when he heard the news that Allen was not going to be pursued by the Vatican and be killed? Though it was reassuring, but he could not help but had doubts to the inspector's speech. But according to Leverrier's character, would he just give up like this?

"The normal activities of Exorcists would continue like as before. That's all. Any questions?" No one said anything. Leverrier had a smug look on his face as he took his papers from the table and straightened his handsome brown suit neatly.

"That's all. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

_"Komui-san, no matter how many people hate me, my life still has to go on. Does it make any difference weeping in a corner after knowing the truth, or trying to attempt suicide when it is revealed?"_

_"The result is, that identity that people loathe so much still remains. I am, and will still be labelled as a Noah, a traitor. No matter how I work hard to prove myself that I am an Exorcist, and no matter what I do, it will not change anything. I know very well how they think of me. I just do. I cannot blame them for this, after all. As the bloody war goes on, the fear inside us intensifies, and the trust among us begin to weaken. Everyday, without fail, I would feel those glares bore deeply into me. Soft murmurings could be heard from a distance, but the words I receive are always so clear, that I wish I have never heard it at all."_

_"It's painful. It's really painful, but I have to move on, because I promise Mana. That I will continue walking, no matter what happens."_

In the end, that promise was broken. After bearing with the heavy torments dragging him along the road, his mind finally gave way.

* * *

"So, how was the meeting?" Reever asked as Komui opened the door and entered his office. The Supervisor just sighed and shook his head dejectedly, sinking back onto his chair and rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"Not going well smoothly?"

"I guess so." Komui replied with little energy as he closed his eyes. "Allen-kun would be treated as our enemy the next time we meet him."

"But that's not surprising right? I mean, he left on his own accord." Reever pointed out his own opinion as he put the books in his hands back to the shelves.

"But...you really believe that Allen betrayed us?" Reever stopped what he was doing as Komui looked at him, waiting for his answer. The Squad leader just sighed as he turned to the Chinese man.

"Actually, I believe that Allen would not betray us, but eyes cannot fool us right? Though we tried to convince ourselves that it is not true, but it just happens right in front of us. That is what the three of them have gone through just now. I'm sure that their mood is no better than us." Komui gave a grimace look as he looked down at the documents and paperworks in front of him, deep into thoughts. Reever was right. Compared to them, the three friends who were closed to Allen were suffering even more, stuck in a dilemma on whether to believe their friend or not. It was a harsh truth that they must accept.

"For now, this case is closed. The Vatican would not pursue this anymore, and should Allen appear in front of us again, we have to...kill him." Reever did not say anything, as he went over to his side and gave him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

"But, would the three of them be willing to accept this?" Komui just gave a forceful smile as he twisted the pen between his slender fingers.

"I wonder..." There was several hard knocks on the door, showing how impatient that person was. Before Komui gave permission for him to come in, the door was slammed open as the raven one stepped into the room, ignoring the papers that he stepped on with his boots. The two adults just blinked and sweatdropped slightly as Kanda slammed his hand loudly on his small desk, sending more papers flying all over the place.

"Wh-What, Kanda-kun?" Komui asked, carefully selecting the words to speak to the hot-tempered one in front of him. Reever just retreated to a far corner of the room, not wanting to get involved in the danger present. The Supervisor just gave him a glare, seeing how 'nice' he was, fleeing away to protect himself instead of standing with him side by side.

"How nice, Reever-_hanchou_." Komui spoke sarcastically. Reever pretended not to hear any comment. Komui cried inwardly in his mind, praying hardly that Kanda would not blow up and destroyed his only working place here.

"Komui," Komui gulped as he stared at the towering one in front of him, his heart beating faster and faster every second.

"Wh-What?" He stuttered. He could not even believe that he was stuttering right now. Having the position higher than Exorcist, why was he so afraid of this person who was merely an Exorcist? He groaned silently to himself for his cowardness, but well, who would not be afraid at the famous one who had the worst temper and the most deadliest glare in the world, Kanda Yuu?

"I want to go somewhere." Komui blinked, hearing a very unexpected question from the raven. Reever stopped what he was doing and moved closer to where they were, wanting to catch what they were saying.

"What, pardon?" Komui asked, not sure on whether he had heard correctly. Kanda frowned immediately, and Komui wondered whether he had chosen the wrong words to use, but the raven teen just grunted and repeated, " I said, I want to go somewhere. Anywhere. Grant me a mission."

"What are you talking about? Going somewhere?" Suddenly, realisation hit him.

"Don't tell me..." Kanda did not say anything, but Komui could somehow guess what that guy was thinking.

"No, this is impossible."

"Why, Komui?!"

"I say, it's impossible. Now that the Order is lacked of Exorcists after the Akumas ambushed us earlier on, we cannot afford sending more Exorcists out. More are needed to protect this place!"

"So that's why you should send me on all missions that you are currently holding. I would complete them." Kanda replied. Komui frowned as he looked at him seriously.

"I know that you, Lavi and Lenalee want to get Allen-kun back, but the priority now is to protect the Order from further attacks! Think rationally, Kanda-kun!"

"Did I say I want to bring the two of them? I'm going on my own." Komui's eyes widened in surprise at this remark.

"The two of them are not joining you?" Kanda nodded his head in reply. Komui shook his head.

"Then all the more I cannot send you out, Kanda-kun. Though you are the strongest Exorcist we have, but you must know that you are facing not only the Earl, but the Akumas and the Noah family. And worse, you may need to fight Allen-kun in person." Kanda gave his signature smirk on his face immediately.

"That would be even better. I would beat the hell out of that brainless head of his to get his senses back to normal, and I mean it." Both Komui and Reever looked at each other as a dark aura surrounded the raven, who was smirking and grinning in pleasure.

"But even so, I'm afraid that I cannot send you out on missions now."

"Why?" Kanda demanded, his frown back into place again.

"The Inspector will surely not allow this. Being the strongest Exorcist here, your life is more than precious to the Vatican. They will not take the risk on putting you in missions outside."

"This is just plainly ridiculous," Kanda said. " I don't give a damn on this useless Organisation at all."

"But Kanda-kun, their reasons do make sense too. If you really die out there..."

I will not die." Komui coughed as he corrected himself.

"Okay, _if. _I say, _if _by chance, you die while completing your missions outside, chances of defeating the Earl would decrease even more, and at that time, we cannot fight against him. You should know this very well, Kanda-kun. Please do understand our difficulties. It's not that we do not want to send you out. We cannot afford the risk involved." Kanda just stared at Komui for a while before he closed his eyes and sighed, convinced by his explanations. Reever was at the desk now, tidying up his stuffs on the table.

"Komui, I will face the consequence myself. This does not involve you at all," Kanda spoke as his eyes slowly opened, looking at the Chinese man with determination.

"I _have _to get that idiot moyashi back." Komui's eyes widened slightly in astonishment, not expecting Kanda to be that determined. Well, Kanda tended to get very serious when he was dealing with enemies and completing the missions, but everyone knew that this raven samurai had detested Allen's presence since he arrived at the Order. It was rather surprising when that stoic one was firm in bringing him back, by himself.

"Kanda-kun..." Komui just chuckled as he shook his head. Reever just smiled. They just could not comprehend on what that guy was thinking in that head of his, but this guy was never wrong in his judgement. The Supervisor just took off his white cap and brushed through his hair before he looked up at him, sighing.

"Jeez, I just cannot change that complex mind of yours, Kanda-kun. And everyone here also wants to get our Allen-kun back too." Kanda just grunted in reply, having that cool expression on his face. Komui rummaged through the stacks of papers on his desk as he bit his pen in his mouth. He selected some files and gave them to him.

"Well, these are the new missions that have been passed down to me recently from the Vatican. You can complete them and use the remaining time after completing them to search for Allen-kun, but please do remember. The most you can stay outside is one month. If you stay outside for more than one month, the Inspector will start to suspect." Kanda just snorted as he flipped through the papers inserted in those files.

"I don't care." Komui smiled as he sipped the hot coffee in his mug.

"But are you sure you do not want to consider bringing Lenalee and Lavi along?"

"No." Was his reply. It was not surprising though. Kanda preferred working alone after all.

"So, you shall set off tomorrow. A Finder would be at the gates waiting for you..."

"I do not need a Finder. They are troublesome."

"But Kanda-kun, Finders are necessary when doing missions. This is one of the rules being an Exorcist-" Suddenly, he understood on what Kanda was implying to him. He sighed as he nodded his head, flipping through pages of documents at the same time.

"Okay, Finders would be excluded in this mission, but I may have a hard time convincing Inspector Leverrier on the reasons."

"That will not be a problem." Everyone turned to the door as General Tiedoll entered the room quietly, his usual smile on his face. Kanda just frowned at his presence here.

"Why are you here, old man?"

"Why? Can't I make a presence here, Yuu-kun?" Kanda's frown deepened at how he addressed him as 'Yuu-kun', scowling.

"Stop calling me that, old geezer!" He spoke, irritated. General Tiedoll just chuckled loudly like this was some kind of joke, annoying the raven male even more as a vein could be seen popping out of his head. Komui just squeaked with fright as he pushed his chair backward slightly, frightened.

"As I have said," General Tiedoll continued, completely ignoring that death glare of Kanda's as he went to the couch and take a seat casually, "This would not be a problem for you, Supervisor Komui, because I will be going with him."

"What? Why am I going with you, old geezer?!" Kanda demanded.

"But how?" Komui asked, peering at the older general with curiosity.

"As long as there is someone watching over him, I do not think that will be a problem. I'm very sure that they put more trust on me taking care of Yuu-kun, since I'm his teacher and guardian after all." General Tiedoll explained, sipping the cup of warm green tea in his hands.

"Old geezer, don't ignore me! And stop calling me Yuu-kun, damn it!" Kanda hissed, pointing towards the smiling one sitting at the corner of the room. The poor raven, unfortunately, did not receive a single reply from the other, fuming him even more as Kanda's face colour turned three shades darker, freaking the two adults in this room (except for General Tiedoll, who somehow could stand that scary attitude of his).

_Poor Kanda-kun. And I wonder how General Tiedoll can stand his ferocious look, _Komui thought to himself, rubbing off the shivers that sent his hairs standing on ends.

"Maa, don't give such a scary face, Yuu-kun." The older general sighed as he shook his head. "That is why no girls are attracted to you. You scare all of them away." Komui could swear to God that he could hear Kanda muttering curses and vulgarities that he knew in his head from A to Z. He sighed as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead, feeling the tense atmosphere surrounding his office.

"And when the missions are all completed, me and Yuu-kun would go on a journey searching for people compatible with the Innocence. We will meet Ma-kun on the way, who is currently outside completing his mission."

"Okay. I shall inform the Vatican about this. I'm really glad that you are going with Kanda-kun. Your mission starts tomorrow. I would suggest the both of you to set off early in the morning. It's best to go off when the Inspector is not looking." General Tiedoll nodded his head in agreement. It would not be good if they met by coincidence.

"Good luck in your mission!" Komui waved as the both of them went out of the room. As the door closed, they could still hear some hissings and shoutings from outside. Komui sighed as he lay down his head on the table, letting the cold air sting his skin slightly.

"Will they succeed in finding Allen?" Reever asked. Komui looked at the door for a moment before he replied:

"I don't know, but one thing I'm sure is that, the path they chose will not be an easy one."

* * *

In a dark lit room, Allen was sitting on a chair facing the balcony. The doors seemed to be open as the cold breeze entered and escaped through the gap, sending the transparent white curtains fluttering up in the air. The boy just sat there, not moving a muscle as the door slowly creaked, someone entering the room.

"Allen!" Rhode Camolet shrieked in happiness as she hopped along the pavement before jumping onto the silver-haired boy, hugging his shoulders tightly behind him. He did not react to her sudden movement, like a stiff doll which had not moved for a very long time.

"What's wrong, Allen?" Rhode asked, peering at the side of his face. Allen did not reply, continuing to stare at the scenery outside the balcony which was partially hidden in view by the curtains. His face expression did not change, and the look in his eyes were forever empty. As he looked his dry lips opened slightly, breathing out. She was sure that he was searching for something through his desperate empty eyes, but had no clue in what he was seeking for.

What was he seeking for, standing in the middle of his darkness?

"Rhode," He started to speak after a few minutes.

"What?" The girl asked, putting her face close to his body to sniff the sweet scent emitted from him, nuzzling his neck gently by her face.

"What am I, Rhode?" The girl stopped as she looked at him questioningly.

"I am here, yet I'm not here. I cannot remember anything after I was awakened. I begin to search for my long lost memories, but they did not return to me."

"It's like that when the Noah within you is awakened. Don't worry. All of us are with you. You will be fine after a few days." She spoke, playing with his silvery hair next. The wind continued to enter the room as the ticking of the clock echoed the silent enclosed area surrounding them.

"Do I know them?" This sudden question startled her.

"What?"

"I don't know them, but somehow, something stirred inside me when I looked at them just now. This feeling was...hurting, especially when that long-haired figure was staring at me at that time. Those dark eyes...they gave me a pained feeling, like they were trying to convey something to me. Something important." Allen said slowly, as his hand was clutching his coat at the middle of his chest, heaving heavily.

"That guy...Rhode," He said as he turned to face her with empty eyes, "Do I know him?" Rhode just stared at him, not saying anything.

"There you are, Rhode. Just when I spend so much time finding you." The door opened as Tyki entered the room.

"Tyki!" Rhode said as she went to give him a tight hug. Tyki just laughed as he ruffled her hair gently, before turning to see the boy who was looking ahead. He just observed his back at the moment, wondering what that boy was thinking in that mind of his. Though he was still the Allen Walker that they all knew, the two identities that he shared in that same body were just too far apart. That smiling, cute boy had fallen into a lifeless zombie who rarely talked and showed emotions. He blinked and scratched at the side of his forehead, pondering.

"Tyki, why are you here?" Rhode asked, jumping down to her feet as she stared at the towering one in front of him.

"Hmm, Earl wants to see you. Say that he has something to talk to you." The girl just raised her eyebrow before she smiled and walked out of the door.

"Okay! Help me take care of Allen-chan neh!" She chirped happily, waving energetically to him before she closed the door behind her.

"What am I, a nanny now?" Tyki thought, sighing. He turned to the lifeless one, who turned back to face the balcony, staring ahead aimlessly as the boy was lost in his thoughts.

* * *

Hey everyone! This is the 3rd chapter of the story 'Tears of Moonlight'. As promised, I have produced a chapter weekly for all of you readers, so hope that all of you like it!

This chapter is mainly about Kanda's negotiations with Komui with regards in finding Allen back. There will also be a part on how Allen felt after so many things had happened to him, when he was just awakened.

I really want to thank every one of you who have reviewed, put story alerts and favourited them!! Thank you very much!! I promise that I will make this story a very successful one, so please do read and review them in the future as it progresses. Though it's your own decision, but I do wish for those who have read the chapters to review them. You can type anything, as long as you leave a review for me :3 Because reviews will tell me whether the story is really up to your standards, and whether you enjoyed reading this story, so I just appreciate if you could just leave a review after reading? Pretty please??

Okay end of my rants. Please read and review to give me your opinions on whether this chapter is written well! Thank you all once again! :D

And to Hesunohana who has reviewed my chapter, thank you very much! Your love is much appreciated :DD and just to let you know that, I will most probably be updating weekly. If I have exams week, then the updates will be inconsistent :)


	4. Fallen Star

**Title: Tears of Moonlight**

Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore to bring him back, even if it meant costing his life. Yullen.

Pairing: Yullen, LavixLenalee(in future chapters)

Genre: Drama/Romance

**Warnings: **Hurt/Comfort/Angst

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM.**

* * *

**Chapter3: Fallen Star**

She skipped across the corridor, smiling at anyone that she had met along the way. All weird and bewildered gazes were at her, but she just replied those questions in their minds with her childish smiles. Baffled ones just froze on the spot, not knowing how to react to the Noah, while others chose to avoid the deceptive eyes and walked away, not wanting to get into any trouble.

Today, she was in a very good mood. Even she herself had no absolute reason in her mind to explain this feeling. It was like having a bubbly feel in her stomach blobbing up and down, and she felt so light that she could jump a few hundred metres with just a gentle leap.

Rhode giggled softly as she looked around the area with her sparkling eyes. Everything seemed extremely bright and shiny today. She reduced the speed of her pace as she arrived at the door. Her small tongue slightly out of her mouth, she was about to stretch her hand towards the doorknob when she stopped. Her eyes twitched upwards a little. Looking at the front of the door, she approached the door and leaned against it.

"...observe him for the moment. Tell me if there is any changes."

"Okay." She frowned. It was Lulubell. She wondered what conversation she had with the Earl. Her pondered look on her face slowly turned into a grin.

"Earl!" She opened the door and shrieked like a fangirl as she entered the room. Both Lulubell and the Earl just looked at her in slight astonishment before he just sighed and turned his attention to Lulubell.

"Do what I say. You may go." Lulubell put her hand at her chest as she took a bow before she excused herself. As the two Noahs bypassed, they just exchanged glances at each other for a second before the taller woman left the room.

"You have come."

"And why did you call me, Earl?" Rhode asked in a teasingly tone. The other just burst into chuckles, looking at her with twinkling eyes that did not seem to lose its glamour.

"Do I need a reason to ask for you, Rhode? I just want you to accompany this old man here, can't I?"

"Of course you can, Earl!" Rhode sang as she jumped next to him and gave him a big hug.

"Earl is like my father to me, so why would I refuse then?" She spoke softly into his sensitive ears, drumming her fingers lightly on his wide shoulders, sending some tickles down his skin. There was silence next as the lit candles in the room flickered momentarily, the black casts of shadows dancing silently on the plain walls. There were few windows available in this room, but was hidden by the covered darkness that seemed to be overpowering the light.

"Do you have something that you need to tell me, Earl?" Rhode asked, knowing that man inside out. The Millennium Earl did not answer, his hands constantly moving as he was knitting something with balls of threads of different colours. The movements were fast as he moved layer over layer, the threads laying on top and below one another in neat positions. His rocking chair was forever moving front and back, in constant motion.

"Is it about Allen?" She asked again. It did not matter how many replies she was going to receive. He knew, and understood completely what she was implying, and he would not reply if there was not a need to.

Rhode released the hug as she stepped backwards, till the distance between the two of them were comfortable to her. Her eyes looked straight, never left those hands which were still busily knitting away.

"Earl-tama?" The umbrella, which was gone unnoticed till now, started to speak.

"Relo? You are here?" Rhode asked, blinking at the one laying beside the Earl.

"Yes, Rhode-tama. I'm always here." It said, giving an annoyed face. The blue-haired girl just giggled more as she shook her head.

"A new member is going to join our family." She stopped as she looked at the Earl. Her gaze trailed down to those pair of rough hands. Surprisingly enough, they had stopped their work. She raised her eyebrow in amusement.

"A new member?"

"Yes, and it is time he is to return to us. His mission is finally completed." The Earl spoke, having a smile that she could not describe. It looked happy, but somehow, something dark was hidden behind that masked grin on his face.

"Who?"

"I will tell you when the time comes. But there is something which I am _very _concerned about..."

* * *

He was sitting in the middle of the green fields, letting the faint sunlight washed over his face. The breeze blew gently onto the wide green spread of meadows filled with all kinds of spring flowers, swaying left and right in unison. Crows croaked as they flew swiftly across the endless sky, while leaves on trees rustled noisily through the quiet afternoon, adding its song to liven up the environment.

He was wearing a dark navy-blue vest over his body, with a pair of black pants as the bottom wear. Mugen was lying silently beside him. He let out a sigh, as he slowly looked up into the white sky, witnessing time gradually slipping past him, not returning back. The raven hair was brushing irritably against his face, as he swept them aside every now and then, gazing at the nature displayed in front of him.

It was serene, filled with tranquility. This place was just too peaceful. He would not even imagine what would happen if the war was spread here in the future, but somehow, he did not like one bit.

Kanda laughed. What was he thinking? It was not his usual personality at all. He would not even care whether how many things had been sacrificed in this long bloodshed for many generations. He only cared for himself, and the rest of them were not his business. They could die whatever they wanted, and they could cry whatever they cared.

He sniffed the air, identifying a light scent coming from the flower garden. He slowly stood up, and walked towards the field, stopping at the first row of flowers lining up neatly. He then squatted down and peered at the small ones, exposing their everything to the world in front of them. As they basked in the pale sun, the tips of the petals could be seen shimmering with a pale golden light, making the whole place a little brighter than before.

Kanda's eyes widened. For the first time, he did not feel irritated. Rather, he felt a little happiness beating inside his heart, filled with anticipation and slight excitement. He slowly stood up again and closed his eyes, feeling the light touch of the wind brushed by his face and his ears.

_Who are you?_

His hands were clenched, as his eyes snapped open firmly. They narrowed soon after, as Kanda recalled what had happened last night. He felt very angry. He was so angry, that he felt himself hard to breathe. It was as if his world turned upside down, his memories jumbled up all over the place. All because of a person.

Allen.

Allen, the silver-haired boy who had messed into his life a year ago. The one who thought that he could be a destroyer that saved human lives in the same place. The one who wanted to prove to him that his existence wasn't a bothersome to him. The one who always had a dumb and foolish smile planted on his skinny face wherever he went.

The one who was the Destroyer of Time. The one who was labelled as the Fourteenth.

He was smiling all the time, but as he went away, all that remained was that shadow of loneliness, and he just knew it. He knew that he was always alone, no matter where he went, or who he met and made friends with. He just knew, that the amount of love showered by everyone was not enough to fill up the accumulated emptiness in him. He was laughing all the time, but because of this, he had cried for many times, till he could not remember.

He did not notice, but he was always watching him from afar. Something in him intrigued him, and he found himself looking for him whenever he was free of duties. In the shadows, he was there, peering at the solitary one.

A white petal fluttered across his face. Kanda held up his hand and caught it in his palm. He slowly opened his hand, revealing the tiny one lying comfortably inside. He then stared at the flowers in the meadows, wondering which flower this petal belonged to.

But, did it really matter? It was detached from it, and soon after, everyone would forget on which flower did it belong to. No one would not chase after sad memories that had left them. They were happy that they were finally free from those binding chains, but he was different.

From the day he had slained his parents and his own clan by his own hands, his time had stopped, and only with the remembrance of those memories would he remember who he was and his existence in the world. The excruciating pain dug deep in his body kept his sanity in place as he lived on. He walked with confidence along the paths of splattered blood, not flinching in the slightest at the sight of bodies and the raw stench in the air. Nothing could move him. Nothing.

Kanda found himself walking to a tree, as he sank his heavy body against the tree trunk and rested. He was going to find Allen back. His mind was reminding his body about it, but for what reason was he doing this? He himself could not comprehend it.

"You are here, Kanda." He turned around, and saw the slim olive-haired Exorcist approaching him. Lenalee smiled at him before she slipped to his side and leaned against the same towering tree, shading their bodies from the heat of the sun.

"I was just wondering where you are. It is really unlike of you to be here."

"Why not?" He snorted. Lenalee laughed in reply.

"Because it's just not like you." Kanda stared at her, before he turned his head to the other side, not saying a word. Lenalee's smile did not leave her face as she gazed at him amusingly, before turning to the front and closed her eyes.

"Beautiful right? This is the only place which I love to be around the most. Standing in the middle of the field, thinking of nothing else and clearing all thoughts in your mind, and after that, you forget."

"Forget?" Kanda murmured, feeling his heart sank at the slight moment.

"Mm, forget," Lenalee agreed as she nodded her head gently. "Forget all of your worries, forget all of your troubles, forget everything that you do not want to remember. They just float away quietly, and it's all gone. Forever." She opened her violet eyes, and stared longingly in the distance.

"Why are you here, Kanda?"

"I don't know." He simply said. Lenalee took a deep breath as she started to walk forward, step by step.

"People say that the souls of flowers can sense your troubles and lead you here. Trapped in their thoughts, men found themselves here, facing a whole stretch of flowers in the green meadows. And amazingly, they feel better and lighter than before." Lenalee said, trailing on piles of dry leaves on the light-brown ground. She stopped and turned to him.

"Are you one of them, Kanda? Is there a reason why you are here, if you do not even know that you stumble here by mistake?"

The raven did not answer.

"Kanda," He felt a soft squeeze on his shoulders, and stared at her.

"Don't die. Live." His eyes widened slightly, but Lenalee just smiled again and put down her hands.

Something white fell from above. They looked up, and realised that it was snowing.

* * *

At the corner, a black cat was watching them. It slowly yawned as it went back into the bushes, its bell jingling softly through the whole silent afternoon.

* * *

"It's mine!"

"No, I found it first! Therefore, it is mine!"

"No, it is _I _who found this first! Go away, you thief!"

Jasdero and David just glared at each other with burning eyes, neither of them wanting to give way. Their hands were clasped on the same object, as they tugged and pulled hardly to claim their rightful prize.

"I tell you, get your hands off this pack of poker cards, Jasdero! I thought you hate poker cards ever since you lost to Tyki and stripped everything down for the punishment of losing so badly?" Jasdero's face turned red instantly.

"Wh-What are you saying?!? Anyway, I found this lying in the middle of the corridor, thus it should belong to me!" He spluttered as the light bulb on his head was shaking crazily from his jumpy movements. David frowned as he pulled the cards closer to him, trying to force the latter to let go of it.

"That was true to begin with! You complained the whole incident to me for so many goddamn times till I can remember every single detail of it! And you swore that you will never touch poker cards again!"

"I did, but that was a long time ago! Now I want these poker cards! I want it, I want it, I want it!" Jasdero whined childishly as he tugged the cards hardly towards his side.

"You are just plain childish, not wanting to admit about that incident," David scoffed.

"Am not!" Jasdero retorted. The other twin raised his eyebrow in response.

"You are lying."

"Am not!"

"You are."

"I said, AM NOT!" He was almost in tears. David hesitated for a slight moment. Jasdero used this chance to grab the cards over to his possession, startling the other. He showed a toothy grin as he waved the pack of poker cards in the air proudly.

"Hehehe! I got it! I got it!" David blinked before he realised that he was deceived.

"Hey, that's not fair! You cheated me by showing me that pouting face! Give it back!" The other twin shouted as he ran towards him, trying to get back the cards, but Jasdero just stuck out his tongue and ran away, followed by the other twin who was chasing him from behind.

"Get back here, Jasdero! You cheater, I will not buy new hair wig for you again!"

"Hehehe! Never! Never!" He sang happily and crashed himself into somebody before he could realise it. The cards slipped out of his hand and scattered in the air, before falling down like showers of rain. David just stared at him for a moment, before he burst out into hips of laughter, earning an embarrassment for the latter as Jasdero frowned and made a face.

"Hey, watch where you are going - " Jasdero stopped talking, suddenly realising who he was talking to.

"These are my cards." David stopped laughing instantly as the silver-haired Noah stepped in front of them, giving them the coldest glare straight in their eyes. Jasdero stumbled back in fright to the other twin as the two of them stared at Allen.

"The Fourteenth," David said, his teeth slowly gritting together. The squeeze on Jasdero's shoulders tightened, as the latter whimpered in pain, looking at him in puzzledly.

"David?"

"So what if it is your pack of cards?" Jasdero's eyes grew wide with shock as he tugged the other twin's sleeve, stopping him from saying further.

"Do you know what you are saying?!? The Earl will surely ask about this - "

"I don't care about what that Earl says. It just irritates me when he enters here as a member of the Noah Family. Why would the Fourteenth choose to join us when he betrayed us years ago and helped the humans instead? Why must the Fourteenth...be him?!? Of all people...why you?!?" David demanded loudly as he glared hardly at the latter, daring him to answer.

"ANSWER ME, ALLEN WALKER!"

A slight twitch could be seen at Allen's eyebrow. He could not understand why he would simply be pissed by a very stupid and childish remark from one of the twins.

"It's none of your business," Allen said coldly as he bent down and picked up the cards on the floor, ignoring the dust that stained his white gloves with dirt. He took a card, peered at it for a moment and patted it, before he turned his attention to the next card next to him.

"What?!?" David lunged for him immediately, only to be stopped by Tyki who gripped onto his wrist and twisted it upwards, as a bang was released from the gun in his hand.

"Tyki, what the hell are you doing?!? Let me go!"

"Stop your nonsense, David. You know this isn't your business," Tyki said, looking at him sternly as he pulled the teenager away from Allen forcefully by his hand. David growled in fury as he struggled and kicked his legs anywhere, shooting a hard glare at the other.

"It is! As long as this brat sets foot in here, it will be my business!" David yelled in anger as another shot echoed through the whole silent corridor, shaking the building slightly. Minutes later, some akumas appeared, wondering whether something had happened.

"An invasion, Lord Tyki?"

"No. Actually, it's a brat throwing a fit here," Tyki replied with a sheepish smile.

"Tyki!"

"Shut up. You have no right to speak in this situation if you continue to cause chaos here. Be good for now," Tyki warned him with a soft hissing tone.

"David!" Jasdero looked at him with worry, and diverted his gaze at the taller young man in front of him, bewildered on what was happening here.

"What is going on here?" The akumas stood aside and bowed in respect to the blue-haired Noah who had just come back from the Earl's room. Relo was in her hands, as she spun the umbrella round and round repeatedly as usual.

"Rhode-tama, please stop spinning me for once!" Relo pleaded.

"Allen!" Rhode sang as she skipped and jumped onto the silver-haired boy's lifeless body, giving it a very tight hug. Allen did not respond as he just stood there, staring at them blankly. David felt more infuriated as he pointed the gun directly at his head and loaded the bullets inside, ready to fire.

"What are you doing, David?" Rhode asked coldly, her back facing him as her arms were still wrapped around Allen's neck like an octopus.

"David!" Tyki warned him again, pulling his wrist closer to him.

"Fire." Everyone's eyes widened for that fraction of moment, turning to the silver-haired boy who had gathered all his cards in his hand. Allen gently pushed Rhode aside, as he slowly walked a few centimetres forward, standing in front of David. His dull eyes narrowed as he ruffled up his fringe with his other free hand.

"Fire. Don't you want more than anything to end my lowly life this instant? Here, shoot me. Right at the middle of my forehead. Make sure you aim it properly," Allen demanded as he grabbed David's shaking hand roughly and gestured by pressing the gun right at the middle of his forehead hardly, to everyone's astonishment.

"What..." David was lost for words.

"Fire! Why didn't you fire?! You want me dead right? Right?!? So just click the goddamn trigger and shoot me down! Shoot me down, now!" Allen shouted hoarsely, forcing the other to release the trigger. He could remember that moment vividly when he shook him hardly by his wrist repeatedly, till the other finally could not take it.

"Stop!" The twin dropped the gun in his hand, terrified. Tyki released him as he slumped down onto the ground, covering his pale face with his hands. Jasdero went to him immediately and comforted him, but was pushed away by the stubborn one who did not want anyone to come near him. Allen remained at his position, showing an astonished look before the pair of emotionless grey eyes gradually softened.

"I'm..."

"Don't say anymore!" David shouted from his position. Standing up, he patted his clothes and took his weapon before he turned to Allen, not showing any expression. A few moments later, he pulled Jasdero along and left the corridor. Allen breathed out slowly as he stepped back, till his back touched the wall behind him. His face expression was twisted with agony as he slowly fell onto the ground, closing his tired eyes.

Why did he say that? For what reasons did these thoughts pop out of his head, guiding his mouth to relay the message to the other party? Allen gripped onto his white uniform tightly.

His head hurt from the thinking. His throat hurt from the shouting. His heart hurt from the pain brought by his words. Everywhere hurt, and he felt horrible.

But surprisingly, he did not shed a single tear.

* * *

_"Allen?" _

_"Yes. According to my observations, our dear Allen has not stabilised yet."_

_"What do you mean, Earl?"_

_"Allen will be getting back the memories of the Fourteenth gradually, but it seems that he still has little memories of his past identity, though they are in broken pieces, all lead to different chapters of his previous life. This is really bad, because as long as his old memories remain, there will be chances that he might recover those memories fully. But..." An eerie smile crept up his face._

_Rhode raised her eyebrow in curiosity._

_"But...?"_

_"I have accidentally found out a rather interesting...discovery about him. Thus..." The Earl turned to her, his floating small eyes locking her gaze together with his._

_"I need your help, Rhode. Only you can do this, because no one can."_

-

"So this is what you seek to find, Earl..." Rhode murmured softly as she licked her lips playfully.

"What's wrong?" Tyki asked. Rhode turned to the taller one and stared at him for a moment, before she smiled sweetly at him.

"Nothing. Just found something interesting."

* * *

Kanda hissed as he touched his left eye, calming down its nerves which had been twitching rather painfully these days. The feeling of uneasiness did not leave him as he looked around, his eye partly covered. Lying alone in his room, the lonesome raven raised his head and looked outside, listening to the faint whispers of the night creatures as the silver moon rose to the sky.

It was night. He raised his hand slightly upwards, as though his fingers were touching the surface of the moon, trailing along the edges of the moon repeatedly. Something happened, as a very tiny diamond dot fell from the sky.

A fallen star.

Suddenly, his vision flashed momentarily, before a splatter of red filled his vision. It stabbed him instantly.

He felt sick. Very sick.

Kanda hissed as his body moved to the edge and arched downwards, gripping onto his left eye tightly. His chest started to contract so much that he felt air slowly squeezing out of his body like a deflating balloon. His heart thumped hysterically as his mind started to spin in circles. The samurai groaned as he got out of his bed, staggering for a few little steps before he fell onto the floor. Ignoring the pain, he crawled weakly to the door of the bathroom and up to the toilet bowl. In a few seconds, everything came out of his mouth, the stench filled the air.

After moments of overcoming the revolted churning in his stomach and his dizziness, he flushed the toilet and sat up, leaning against the wall, having a rather pale face for the first time. The raven blamed it on the dinner that he consumed four hours ago.

But even so, he felt strangely better than before.

* * *

_One petal fell._

_Twelve petals left._

* * *

A rather long chapter, I would say, but I would really be happy if all of you dear readers would just review what I have written and give me your opinions and thoughts regarding the current progression of this story?

And I have to apologise for not updating a week ago. Cookies for all of ya. Pls do forgive me DDD: Sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes.

Again, read and review please! Next update will be 7days from now! :D

SingingBlues


	5. The Halted Time that started to move

**Title: Tears of Moonlight**

Summary: He left, and everything crumbled instantly. Lenalee's heart shattered, and Lavi's emotions were shaken terribly. Kanda's thoughts were totally messed up because of him, and he swore that he would bring him back, even if it meant costing his own life.

Pairing: Yullen, maybe LavixLenalee (in later chapters)

Genre: Drama/Romance

**Warning: Angst and...humor? xDD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DGM.**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter4: The Halted Time that started to move**

_He could hear his footsteps very clearly beneath him, bypassing many people, many strangers, till he reached a very wide empty area, where only stone pillars were found. In the middle stood a familiar sword-wielder samurai, who seemed to be waiting for his arrival._

_"Yuu! You are finally back! I'm so worried about you!"_

_"Don't come near me." He stopped running, and stared at him astonishingly._

_"Yuu?" He looked different. Somehow, he looked different from what he was in the normal days. Lavi stood silently, feeling the atmosphere of the air. It felt weird. Normally, the air would be rather tense with the dark-haired Exorcist around, but this time, it seemed to be thicker than usual; so thick, that his windpipe was choked with unwanted carbon dioxide which could not be breathed out. Something seemed to be circulating around Kanda. Something invisible, yet it brought out a malice that was ready to kill._

_His eyes widened. Kanda Yuu...what...exactly was he?_

_"Scared?" Kanda started to speak, his dark sapphire eyes turning to him. "Are you scared, Lavi?"_

_He did not call him by his nickname. He didn't. Neither did he scold threatening words when he addressed him by his first name._

_He didn't._

_"Ne, what are you doing, Yuu? What are you talking about?"_

_The stirring air seemed to be moving faster, surrounding the space that the raven was standing._

_"You must be scared of me, Lavi. You have to, because I'm not normal after all. It's normal to push me away. I'm a monster."_

_"Who said that you are a monster?!?" He yelled at his close friend, anger lit in his emerald eye. Kanda continued to look at him with sinking emptiness in his eyes. Lavi gritted his teeth and turned, refusing to look into the other side portraying his loneliness._

_"Lavi, why aren't you looking at me? Are you afraid...of what you will see living inside me? Are you?" He lifted his finger, and pointed at his chest towards the left, straight at his thumping heart. His fringe brushed against his face repeatedly, but still, Kanda's face expression did not change._

_"Shut up! I don't know what you are talking about! Yuu, what happened to you?" Lavi wailed, staring at his friend with pleading eyes, begging him to confess what had changed him. Kanda was certainly different from what he was. Kanda would not feel inferior about his own personality and his looks. Kanda would not question so much to him if he always thought that he was irritating, and Kanda would not even give a damn on how people would think of him! To him, the scenario placed right in front of him was the reality, and he would accept it, and moved on._

_"Lavi...Lavi...Lavi..." He called his name several times, playing with the melodious words by his tongue. Soft sniggers were heard as Kanda's head were downcast. He laughed deeply, totally enjoying himself, while Lavi only winced at the sting that was brought by that horrifying laughter through hell._

_"Lavi..." Kanda lifted up his head, giving him a real smile for the first time. "Are you going to save me, if I fall into darkness?"_

_Lavi's eyes widened in shock. The raven's grin only grew wider._

_"Are you going to save this friend of yours, if he is going to join the one who existed for Him, and seek for his powers - "_

_"Of course not! What the hell are you blabbering about, Kanda?!?" The raven stopped talking, noticing that Lavi had called him by his surname._

_"Oh, so you call me by my preferred name now, Lavi? How interesting." He ended his sentence as his tongue slithered out of his lips and slithered back into his mouth again, his grin never left his face._

_"Kanda!"_

_"Lavi, you are just simply naive. And irritating after all." The raven spoke, as he started unsheathing his sword, hearing the soft screech of its blade rubbing against his hilt slowly, till the whole sword was out and gripped by his hand._

_"What are friends, Lavi? Friends are people who will save one another when they are facing danger. Friends are people who share happiness and woes together. Friends are binded by a very close bond which is strong and unbreakable. With friends, love exists." Kanda started to walk towards the future Bookman slowly, his lips still continued to move._

_"But, do the loyalty among friends last long? There would surely be a day when your friend betrays you due to their greatest desire living deep inside their hearts and souls. Humans are borne to be greedy, and does friends even hold a meaning to us when we are faced with temptations that we cannot resist?"_

_Lavi did not say anything. Kanda scoffed with disgust and answered:_

_"The answer is...no. At that time, friends will be nothing. They do not even hold a tiny bit of significant position in us. Friends cannot make us stronger. Friends cannot make us advance further in life, and friends are just a burden which drags you forever. To me, they are nothing but trash."_

_"Yuu, you...you..." Lavi was speechless._

_"Lavi, aren't you part of the Bookman clan? I thought that Bookman aren't supposed to generate emotions for anyone, not even those who had really made friends with you. Have you forgotten all about that?" Kanda said, the teasing look dancing happily in his dark burning eyes, taunting at his open weakness._

_Lavi felt a hard slap on his chest instantly. He quivered slightly, staring at his stretched hands which were shaking the moment Kanda spoke. He knew. He knew very well that, but thinking of a world with no emotions was just too...too excruciating. It was like everyone did not know one another's existence, and their own existence. They would not be aware on what was happening revolving around them, spending like that for the rest of their lives. He did not want it. He did not want this to happen._

_"Goodbye, Lavi."_

_He looked up abruptly, seeing the samurai getting further away from him. Footsteps echoed through the silent air, before he realised that he was leaving, his shadow almost swallowed by the flames of darkness. He was stunned for a moment, before he realised that he could not give up on him._

_"Wait, Yuu! Wait!" Lavi ran after him, and grabbed his wrist, stopping the raven. Sensing that he had stopped, his grip on him grew tighter, refusing to let go._

_"If this is what you have decided, then I will stop you no matter what happens!" Lavi declared, staring at his back firmly. If this darkened path was what Kanda was going to take in the future, then he would stop him from advancing further, no matter what would happened to him._

_Even if it meant killing him._

_"Is it?" Kanda sighed as he turned around and stared coldly at him. Lavi wondered whether his eyes softened at that instant, or that he had mistaken it for something else. The raven closed his eyes._

_"As I thought, you are still naive after all." Seconds later, his eyes opened._

_"Then..." _

_Lavi's eyes widened painfully. His vision then started to fade, before it blackened._

_-_

_"...die."_

* * *

_11 January 1892, Clear._

"Yuu-kun!"

"..."

"Yuu-kun!!"

"..." Stiffled groans were heard from under the blanket.

"Yuu-kun?"

"..."

"Yuuuuuuu-kuuuunnnnn!!"

That was it. Kanda's arm was stretched out, grabbed that black golem and flunged it straight into the wall hardly. A very loud thud and sounds of something breaking were heard a few seconds later, as irritating noises buzzed rather painfully into his ears. The raven groaned, pulled his blanket over his throbbing head, before he revealed a rather pissed-off look on his tired face.

It was morning. The sunlight rays were penertrating through the translucent curtains as faint bird chirps could be heard from outside. Kanda blinked as he opened his heavy eyes slowly, looking around the room. He then sat up and remained there for a moment before he groaned softly again.

"Yuu-kun, are you awake?" His eye twitched at that voice coming from his black golem. It was that irritating old man. _Again._

"Yes, old man. And don't call me by that name, damn it!" Kanda snapped as he slid his bare legs out of the cosy bed and walked straight to the washroom, not caring on the poor golem's current condition after taking the hard smash on the wall. After bathing, he stepped out of the washroom with his towel hanging loosely at his waist as he walked to his wardrobe, taking out a new set of Exorcist uniform.

"Aww, you do not need to shout at my ear right, Yuu-kun? My ears hurt!" Kanda frowned and turned around.

To his amazement, the black golem was still functional. Well, _barely _functional to be exact.

"Shut up, old man!" Kanda shouted back, seething. That old geezer just did not know when to shut his mouth up. The raven male buttoned up his uniform and dried his hair using a new fresh, clean towel. Morning was always his favourite period, but it was totally ruined by that old man's singing voice. Damn, did that old man think that he was still in his twenties, acting cute?

"You do not need to be so mean right, Yuu-kun? I just want to wake you up just in case you overslept."

"I _don't _oversleep." Kanda deadpanned, frowning. He went to the table and started to wear his black gloves. Mugen was resting on the table, together with the hourglass. Kanda then went to take his katana and strapped it firmly at the side of his waist. Grabbing his bag by his shoulders, he slid his feet into his boots as he went out of his room, remembering to lock the door.

"Is it? Well, I am already waiting at the gates. See you in ten minutes." The voice spoke through the black golem as it was flying beside its owner, who was proceeding to the cafeteria to grab a bite before he set off.

"Yeah," He replied, before the call was cut off. Kanda made sure that he had brought everything he needed, as he turned around a corner and entered a wider corridor. The raven samurai walked with wide footsteps as he was in a hurry. As he passed by the infirmary, he walked to the left and was reaching Komui's office.

"So, have a good day then, nii-san!" The door opened, and as she stepped out, their gazes met.

"Kanda?" Lenalee asked in bewilderment. Kanda admitted that he was surprised in meeting the olive-haired girl at this moment. The raven stopped rather abruptly and faced her, not knowing what to say. Lenalee stood straight as she stared at the floor, unsure on how to start a conversation between the both of them.

"You..." Both of them spoke at the same time.

"You say first, Kanda," She said, smiling rather foolishly. A single strand of his hair brushed across his face lightly as the raven closed his eyes and turned 90 degrees left. Lenalee stared at him, realising that Kanda had grown a lot since she met him. She needed to lift her head high in order to see his broad shoulders and his head. He looked slightly muscular than before. Standing side by side, she felt like a younger sister to him, though she treated Kanda as an older brother. Beside Komui, he was the second person she could rely on and felt safe with in the Black Organisation.

Lenalee smiled, as she walked forward and hugged him gently from behind, pressing her body closer to his. She had never done such intimate action with Kanda before, and at first she was scared on Kanda's reaction to her.

But now, she did not need to worry anymore. She liked it very much.

"Be safe."

She did not know what she was saying. Kanda was stunned on the spot.

They remained there for a few minutes, neither of them saying anything. A cold breeze wrapped around the two of them, and Lenalee's hold on Kanda tightened, which led to a slight reaction from the older Exorcist. Maybe, at that particular moment, Kanda might have turned his head around to her, but she just buried her face deeper into his uniform, hoping that he would understand.

And he did understand. Kanda stayed at his position, not turning back.

Slowly, she released him and stepped back, continuing to look at him, having the urge to see how he might have react, or maybe she just wanted to see his face, having a feeling that it would be the last time she would ever see him.

Kanda started to move forward, and she started to turn to the opposite direction, but stopped when she noticed that Kanda had not left yet. His last step thudded rather loudly, as the sound waves trailed into her ears, feeling the vibration hitting her eardrums. Lenalee averted her gaze somewhere immediately, not anticipating what he was about to say next, but she forced herself to look forward.

"Kanda?"

His ponytail hair moved to the left as he faced her sideways. His lips parted partially, and moved silently, saying something. At first, Lenalee did not get it, but as he finished, her eyes widened.

A few moments later, he left. Lenalee still stood there, before she found tears escaping from her eyes.

_I promise, I would bring him back._

"Lenalee! Lenalee!" She turned, seeing Komui at the doors.

"Yes, nii-san?" The Chinese man was astonished by the tears in her eyes. Lenalee just smiled as she hurriedly wiped away the remaining trails of it. Komui looked at her worriedly, wondering what had happened.

"Are you alright, Lenalee?"

"Yes. Why are you here, nii-san?" She quickly replied.

"Lenalee, please bring this to Reever. That guy and his subordinates would be busy in the laboratory and would not be free to come here. Please bring this to him."

"Okay," Lenalee said, looking at the file. As she flipped open the file her eyes widened at the symbol on the paper.

"Nii-san, what's this? It's a symbol of a lotus-" Komui snapped the file shut before she could say further. The olive-haired girl just gave him an astonished look in reply.

"Lenalee, just send this to Reever. He will know what to do." Lenalee just blinked and nodded her head as she exited from the office. As she frowned, she peered at the brown file she was holding.

What was it inside?

* * *

"I said that I'm rushing there! Don't keep pestering me!" Kanda snapped so loud that he could feel all eyes onto him. The raven flushed with embarrassment as he muttered curses under his breath, grabbing the packed food from the person from the food stall as he exited the cafeteria, heading towards the gates.

"All you can do is to embarrass me right, old man?" There was a chuckle heard from the golem.

"But you are just mean!" Kanda's face colour turned three shades darker as he gritted his teeth, bearing himself from exploding. As he walked through the big halls, he finally reached the gates as he saw General Tiedoll sitting at a corner sketching as usual. The older general looked up as he heard a loud stomp of footstep in front of him. He smiled as he closed his sketchbook.

"Ah, you have finally come, Yuu-kun."

"Don't call me that!" Kanda hissed. General Tiedoll put his sketchbook back into his bag as he stood up on his feet, patting away the dust on his back. He then noticed that the older general's expression was different than before.

"What has happened?"

"Though the Vatican has let you go, but I don't think it is that simple. The Black Organisation has eyes everywhere, as you have known, so they would surely track our movements very strictly, especially when you are a friend of Allen-kun." Kanda just snortted in reply.

"That moyashi? He's not my friend." General Tiedoll just sighed at this.

"Okay, he's not your friend, but among all Exorcists, he is the closest to the three of you, thus the Vatican would surely keep a watchful eye on all of you, just in case you three have any signs of rebellion."

"What? Rebellion? How ridiculous." Kanda spat, rolling his eyes incredulously. The Vatican sure had lots of free time to spend. If they really mistrusted them that much, then what was the use of this organisation in the first place? In order to win this battle, everyone must trust one another and if this could not be done, the enemy could find any weak spots in them and attacked.

"I know, but you cannot blame them. One Exorcist had betrayed us earlier."

"Exorcist Suman Dark?" Kanda asked. General Tiedoll nodded his head.

"Exactly. Now that Allen-kun has also betrayed us, their guard towards Exorcists would be more strict in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again." Kanda did not say a word. That old man had a point there.

"Komui has informed me earlier in the morning to be wary of Leverrier. Ever since that guy has been in charged of most activities in the Order, almost all of us have already been survalienced, under his eyes. It's only that not many people has noticed about this." Kanda's fists were clenched at the thought of that bastard. He knew that he was not a simple person when he saw him for the first time. From that frown, from that look in his dark brown eyes that seemed unreadable, and that tiny smirk which would not wear off from his sharp face...every time whenever he was in sight, he always got very tense, constantly watching him at the corner of his eye.

Especially when he was watching Allen all the time.

"Yuu-kun?" Kanda realised that he was lost in his thoughts.

"Sorry," General Tiedoll nodded his head as he looked at the grey sky. There were flashes of white as thunder boomed through the whole surroundings. The stoic samurai listened to the hums of the shushing wind closely, facing the road that they were about to take.

"Let's go."

* * *

Allen felt his left eye, very sure that he felt a sudden, temporary sting in his eye. His left eye was close as his hand covered it for a while, before he slowly released his hand and opened his left eye slowly. The images flashed grey, then blackened, then turned white, before his vision returned.

He paced to the entrance of the balcony, and put his hand onto the surface of the glass doors, seeing the radiating warmth slowly spreading itself across, melting away the cold air settling on it.

He had been in this room for a while. He did not know how long he had been here. Minutes? Hours? Or even a few days? Having lost track of time, trapped in his own world as he locked himself in, Allen just remained in this state, not wanting to do anything. He gazed at the grey sky as his empty eyes twitched for a very slight moment.

Peering at the wide sky, he felt as if he was flying endlessly. Through the vast area that seemed endless, he kept searching, and searching, though he had no idea what his heart wanted or desired.

Inside him was hollow. His mind was empty. His heart was empty. The container was empty.

He had no emotions. He did not know how to produce it. No matter how he tried, he just could not feel a single thing. He tried to watch comical shows recommended by the Earl, but he did not find any of it funny at all. He tried to watch sad shows, but he felt no tears coming out of his eyes. He tried to feel pain by cutting his wrist, but as drips of blood trailed down his hand, he could feel nothing. No pain. Nothing at all.

Who was he? What was he? Why was he even here in the first place? What was his reason...for his existence in this world, in this place? What was his aim...in living?

Rhode, the blue-haired girl, said that a Noah came with no memories in them. Their lives started afresh from that day they turned into their true identities. Their previous lives had been erased, because their current lives started from that very day onwards, as a Noah.

Allen looked at his right palm. He faintly saw thin lines that stretched the whole area of his hand. He then closed it to a fist and slowly opened it, before closing it again.

His body was stiff. Was it because he had not moved from his time for a while? How long had he been staying in the same position, not moving forward? Somehow, he had a feeling that it was a very long time ago since he was awakened in this form.

"Allen!" He slowly turned around, as he saw Rhode, Tyki and the twins at the door. The girl was waving towards him, grinning. Tyki just closed his eyes as he held his black hat close to his face, a faint smile appearing on his face. Jasdero and Debritto were quarelling as usual, bickering nonstop over the slightest thing. As he saw this group chatting and shouting among themselves, a smile slowly crept up to his face.

His time which had halted long ago had started to move.

* * *

"Damn, thanks to that old man's delay over his _sketchings_, we have to chase after the train!" Kanda thought in anger as the two of them dashed across streets in a tremendous speed.

"I'm really sorry, Yuu-kun." General Tiedoll apologised, smiling sheepishly.

"Isn't it a little too late?" Kanda snapped as the two of them crossed over the bridge and jumped down, as a train appeared from under the bridge. The two Exorcists crashed themselves onto the top, making a rather deep dent on the train, resulting in the commotion inside as the passengers wondered what had happened above them. They found an entrance as they went inside.

"Um...sirs?" The person in uniform just stuttered as he saw two strangers entered the train without showing their tickets, not knowing what to do.

"We are the Black Organisation. Please give us a place to stay for the night." The person's eyes widened as he saw the shiny silver badge at the top left of their uniform.

"Yes, I will attend to that! Please follow me!" The person gestured for them to follow. Somehow, Kanda thought that this had happened before. They walked for a while before the officer showed them their cabin.

"Have a nice day." He bowed as he shut the door. General Tiedoll just made himself comfortable while Kanda just stared out of the opened window, with his arms folded.

"We are going to Aurora station which is about twenty stops from the station where we are supposed to board the train, to gather information as well as to check on the abnormality of the activities there. It seems that people from that city turn missing, and the number of missing people are increasing day by day." Kanda took the file that General Tiedoll handed him to and flipped it open, browsing through the documents in a bored expression.

"When is Marie joining us?" General Tiedoll blinked as he tapped his chin, pondering.

"If I'm not wrong, he should be done in less than five days. He will contact us again when he is ready to come to us." Kanda nodded his head as his eyes were back into reading the documents. The raven then felt bored as he turned to the window, looking outside. They were passing by a river now, as the scenery was filled with greenery and nothing else. The sky was still grey as usual ever since they set off.

"But," Kanda turned to the older general who was asking a question. "You really did not tell the two of them about this?" Kanda snorted as he closed his eyes.

"There is no need to," He responded. After all, what could they do? The place where the Millennium Earl was currently staying was unknown. Hell, they even had no slightest clue to where it was. And furthermore, bringing them along would surely lead to suspicion. That crafty and witty inspector would surely find something fishy to this.

Seconds, minutes and hours had passed by, and night had arrived. General Tiedoll had gone to the washroom, but maybe that general might creep to the top of the train to draw as usual. Kanda remained in the cabin, his gaze always outside the window, but somehow, he was staring at his own reflection at the window rather than outside, as it was too dark to see what was outside.

He stared at himself, and noticed how long his hair was, stretching down to his waist. His hand moved to the left of his chest, as he touched it, feeling his heart beating inside him.

Every beat, every vibration, slowly drained his energy away. His hand then travelled up to the corner of his eye, where he brushed his fringe aside, revealing some faint lines at the corners of both of his eyes. Since the battle in Edo, the symptoms had become more obvious. Kanda sighed as he released his fringe, letting the strands covered part of his eyes.

_Come._

_Come, Yuu. Once you defeat your enemy using the powers that I have given you, come and seek for me, and I will remove the curse from your body._

Kanda hissed lowly at the remembrance of that voice. He swore that he would find that person, and tear him into pieces for the humilliation.

The raven looked outside, and saw stars shimmering in the night sky. Somehow, as he concentrated, he could faintly see the image of Allen standing at the same position in the dark sky, in the centre of the full moon. The wind blew by as the image slowly disappeared.

Kanda closed the window and pulled down the shutters. He went to the switch and switched off the light. Laying down, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Hai! Chapter 5 is finally out! I'm so sorry everyone, but hope you like it! I have editted this for many times, so...hope you enjoy it once again!!! :DDD

It's preeeetty long, I agree, but do bear with me kays? :D

Please read, review and tell me your opinion on how my newest chapter fare? Please please please? It's just a click at the bottom of the webpage :) It won't take long to produce a review...

So, see you around! Next update will most likely be 7days from now, but the updates may not be consistent after this chapter, cuz my common tests are coming!!! DDD: Ah, it really dampens my happy mood now ._____.

Again, read and review!! Thanks everyone!!!

Singingblues :D


	6. The Encounter

****

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Hope all of you like it. As all of you have seen, this chapter is a double combo, which means I combine two chapters together. I am not going to update for quite a while after this, as I'm going to Japan for my beloved holidays!!! Banzaii, hot springs!!!! Hohoho!! :DDD Also, I have to rush in my projects and homework to be due two weeks later when school reopens. Sorry, will kinda be busy around this period even though my common tests have ended.

Okay shall keep this short. Ask me if you have any queries regarding this two chapters. I will be more than happy to reply you :)

Warning! Many action scenes! Keep your eyes paled! XDD

Enjoy! Read and review!

* * *

**Chapters 5 and 6: The Encounter**

He walked along the dark pathway stretched across with dark sheets of carpet, feeling a little bored and umcomfortable. He turned his head here and there many times, looking at things that he had seen and discovered for numerous times he could remember since he came here, yet he did not feel in the least irritated. It was more of...a comfortable feeling, that everything still remained at the very same place he had portrayed in his memories. It made him...secure.

Allen felt the soft and smooth strands of his silver hair through his playing fingers in between, partially touching the stained dark stigmanas at the middle of his forehead. Both surfaces brushed against each other, and he could not help but loathe it. It was wet, stained with his fresh blood and this gruesome sensation was enough to send his whole soul into the world of insanity. Screams hollered, piercing through the area where his thoughts wandered, spills of crimson blood stained the walls so beautifully and invisible hands which wanted to drag him to hell. This was the container which filled many lives, memories and sins of people that had carried for as long as they lived, and they were the ones who were going to bear everything.

His long coat shielded him from the coldness of wind, slinging beside his body loosely. Many eyes were drawn to him: some doubtful, disgusted, disdained and despise. He had seen long through his years of living, and had seen through many faked masks placed at the front of their faces. The world was full of lies. There was no one who would say out their real feelings, because there would simply be no one to sympathetise on them. Everyone started deceiving one another without knowing, and one would realise that they were lying to others as well. It might be because of influence, but one would never know what might happen in the future.

People lied because they could hide their hideous faces in the dark forever. Some lied because they were curious on how humans would react to something that would not happened. Others lied because they simply had no choice.

The sole reason he lied was simple. That was, it had become part of his personality. He was one who had to lie, or else it won't be him anymore. Lying made his presence look more surreal, not characters living in fantasy stories. Something would be weird if he did not lie, as if he did not exist at all. It made him whole, and he felt secure covering his self with stories that were not his.

He gave a neutral stare at one of the Level 4 Akuma walking past. When he was once again recruited back into this family, he had discovered many things through his eyes that added on to his accumulated knowledge. And he felt rather pleased and proud of himself, for finding out the other side of him who could do something to another being he met or stared on.

For instant, that Akuma which was being stared at cowered slightly with fear before it hurried away. Allen continued to stare at him in an inquisitively way, amused by how it reacted. He was sure, very sure that he saw fear present in it. He tugged his hands into his pockets elegantly and chuckled to himself. He thought that humans would react like that, but he did not expect Akumas to do that as well. Furthermore, he was only giving a rather numb look, and it had started to frighten it. It was totally different, because people were only scared by their cool and smirky looks.

Did the title of the Noahs really bring such a huge impact on one's being? It sounded as if they were really immortals, having extraordinary superhuman powers which had surpassed beyond the controls of God.

As such, they were already deceived by the surface of their shells. And so, Allen had discovered the ultimate way to victory. A deadly solution which could sentence one to death immediately without a need to fight. Allen's curved mouth sniggered softly. My, how glad he was to be a member of this deadly organisation! Stamping human races to death like a piece of cake...excitement escalated as he thought more of it.

He stopped by a pillar and looked outside, looking at the scenery. He wondered whether he was enjoying the colours in front of him, or he was thinking of something else. Frankly, when he was finally awake from his slumber, he was unsure of what he was. It was not surprising, since he grew up in the environment of lies, but something seemed to be missing the moment he woke up. Something, which he would not decipher very well. He even did not know what on earth was he searching, but he was sure something was missing in him.

The clouds started to move. He traced along the puffy lines through his sight, and it formed something. A circle...some curvy lines...a dent at the bottom...

_No... _He stared for a while before he realised. It was a face. He was interested immediately, and wondered who he was. He had a rather grumpy face, having a frown which seemed to be there for a long time, but that stern eyes were rather nice while almost hidden by the dark shades of grey clouds, which he assumed to be his fringe.

His heart thumped hardly. Somehow, a weird feeling was brought out...

Not knowing how much time had passed, he heard someone calling him. He turned, and saw a tall young man approaching him.

"Bored?" Tyki asked. Allen just grunted and turned back to view the scenery.

"Not really."

"Then...you are interested in something?"

"Sort of," He replied coolly. Tyki blinked as he went to his side and tried to figure out what this child was thinking.

"Look," He was fast to speak, as Tyki looked at the direction he was pointing to. He squinted his eyes a little from the glare of the sun, not getting used to exposing himself under the light. The young man blinked for a moment, shading himself using his black hat, not seeing anything coming out of it. He let out a bored yawn, and was about to give up when he realised what Allen was really talking about. He did not expect it to be that coincidential, but he just smiled and wore his black hat on his head once again.

"I see. So you are interested in something like this?" He asked in wonder. Allen peered at him at the corner of his dark shimmering eyes and gave him a playful smirk on his face before he started to walk away. Tyki did not leave from his position, as he continued to stare at the white image which was slowly fading away. What he was interested in was not how Allen reacted. It was something else which surprisingly impressed him.

"I really want to see how the two of you will react when the both of you meet. How _interesting beings_." He licked his index finger and bit it lightly by his teeth.

"Tyki," He turned around and saw Allen looking at him.

"What? Anything you want for me?" He gave a playful wink. The silver-haired Noah just growled softly and gave him a disgusted stare. Seeing Allen giving this type of face for the first time, Tyki chuckled softly and just shrugged openly, walking towards him.

"Just kidding."

"Yeah," Allen said sarcastically. Tyki blinked, before he burst out laughing.

"You really cannot take jokes, can you?"

"I'm not here for jokes, Tyki." That colour lit in his eyes never failed to amuse him. Allen grunted as his eyes darted at the extreme left with his fingers pressed firmly on his skull, seemed to be receiving something. That pair of eyes narrowed before he turned to the Noah standing in front of him.

"It's the Earl. He's calling for us." Tyki raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Oh? And what has this old man brought us again? I really hope that it would be a big surprise."

The two of them were walking down a narrower pathway, till the path in front of them came to an end. Allen placed his left hand on the wall and closed his eyes, chanting something softly at his lips, while Tyki silently waited. A bright light shaped as a door shone, before it appeared, leading them to another place. They entered and as they went in, the door behind them disappeared immediately.

"Surprise?" Allen asked, tugging his gloved hands into his pockets as he even wondered why he asked Tyki this type of question. The said Noah's golden black eyes seemed to brighten up a little at his question, and Tyki was more than happy to reply to Allen who was curious about him for the very first time.

"Yes. It would be more fun playing with their minds once again." His low hissing voice sounded so crisp through his ears as his breath tickled along his sensitive skin. The taller Noah beside him blew cold air along the sides of his face before he licked them slightly and bit his ear. Allen's body jerked as he almost stumbled in his steps.

"Tyki!" Allen growled angrily and pulled out his Innocence sword instantly, aiming towards him. Tyki was lucky to have escaped unscathed before Allen's Innocence lay on his life. That cute boy's eyes were still as beautiful as ever, and his face was even slightly red! Tyki could not help but licked his lips, having the desire to have this cute boy all by himself. He would claim every part of his beautiful body, caressing him so warmly that Allen would bound to let out a slutty moan out of his wet mouth, having begging look in his eyes to plead him for more. And he would agree, taking his butt as his possession and had a great night throughout, feeling him alive inside him. Oh, how he desired for him so much, so much...

"Oh, I'm sorry for that," He apologised in a light manner and stood aside like a gentlemen. Allen glared hardly at the pervert that acted like a pedophile just now and wiped the remaining saliva away, deactivating his Innocence.

"One more time and you would find your whole body dismantled."

"Oh, how mean." He moaned softly and gave him a childish pout which resembled Rhode's.

"Shut it," Allen hissed, slapping his hand which was about to grab his ass within seconds.

As the sounds of their boots could be heard through the silent corridor, they finally reached an ordinary door. Before Allen could open it, it opened and out jumped Rhode, who slammed her body right into his.

"Allen!" She giggled, hugging him tightly like a teddy bear. Though his eyes were almost expressionless, but he did not like the blue-haired Noah treating him as though he was under her collection of toys. And one time was enough. Recalling what had happened between him and Tyki made him feel sick immediately.

"You have come, Fourteenth." The faint candle lights trailed down to the fat one sitting at his favourite rocking chair. Lulubell, Jasdero and David were already there. Allen ignored the weight of the blue-haired Noah and walked in, his dull eyes scanning through the room quickly.

"Rhode, you will affect Allen if you hug him like that." Tyki said.

"He does not mind it," Rhode said and stuck out her tongue in glee. In silence, Allen just wished that the girl would not hug him so suddenly. The silver-haired teen brushed his hair slightly as he stopped at the stretched shadow of the man in front of him, bowing down. The Millennium Earl acknowledged as he nodded his head slightly.

"Tch, why must that guy be here?" David snorted in disgust. Lulubell stood alone at a corner, viewing everything with interesting eyes under the shades of her sunglasses. She lifted up her hand and lapped lightly onto the tip of her right index finger.

"David!" Jasdero tugged his pullover coat slightly, which was slapped away by the said Noah who closed his eyes and turned his head somewhere, refusing to pollute his eyes on disgusting human like him. Allen had obviously heard everything of it, but maintained his position very well, not seeming to be affected by his sarcasm. David was infuriated by his indifferent reaction and just glowered darkly at him.

"Now, now. Let's stop with all the chitchatting, shall we? We have work to do." The Earl said in a relaxing way as he leaned his back against the soft cushion at his rocking chair, his eyes twinkling like beads of jewels. His gaze settled on his children who was in front of him.

"What is it that you want us to do, Earl?" Tyki asked curiously.

"Are we going to play with the Exorcists again?!? Is it, Earl?!?" Rhode asked enthusiastically with that sadist look on her childish face, before she burst out into giggles of laughter.

"This time, we wanna take part, Earl-old man!" Jasdero and David piped in unison, brandishing out their favourite toy guns which were used for real battles. Lulubell did not comment, but from the glint burning in her dark golden eyes, it looked like she was anticipating the fun activity that was going to be organised by the Millennium Earl himself. Allen observed everyone's reactions and took down necessary things to be noted. As his mind was working, his eyes stared at the dominant one sitting in front of him, wondering what his first job would be.

"Allen Walker, or should I call you 'the Fourteenth'?"

Allen pondered for a moment. His real identity should be the Fourteenth, but that name of his sounded rather interesting.

"Allen will do, Earl."

The Millennium Earl raised his eyebrow, slightly surprised by his answer, but he just chuckled softly and nodded his head.

"Okay, Allen shall be. This mission shall be dedicated solely for Allen himself."

There were whines and grunts heard next.

"Why, why, why?!? I'm so bored here! I wanna go out and play with the humans! They are so fun to play with!" Rhode whined loudly as she put her hands on her hips to show disapproval.

"What, Rhode? They are _humans_, not your toys like those dolls that you have possessed." Tyki spoke with a rather monotone voice. Rhode looked at him for a while, and just laughed it off.

"Of course they are humans! I do know that!"

"Then why?" His voice hummed deeply down his throat, wanting that little Noah girl to answer immediately. Rhode stopped laughing, her glowing eyes narrowed as her lips curved up into a crooked smile that looked broken.

"Because they are _humans_, that is why they are so fun to play with."

The silver-haired Noah stood by his position, his ears eagerly absorbing and getting all the information present in this conversation. His left hand slowly travelled up the soft surface of his white coat, before they slid down to the side of his body again. His toes felt numb, and he wondered whether it was due to the cold weather outside or was it because he had been here for quite a while. Though he had been accepted as a member here, but somehow, he still could not get used to this type of environment.

But he believed he could. Because he was borne in a world of lies after all.

"Of course, Allen would not just be the one having missions. All of you will be assigned to each one that I have planned out. Everyone must start at the same time."

"It's time?" Rhode asked. Allen could not figure out how the Millennium Earl reacted. He just assumed that the Earl was...happy in a kind of way.

"Are all of you ready for this?"

The lights flickered eerily as his voice filled the whole silent room. He sniffed the stirring air which felt rather heavy and choking all of a sudden, making himself hard to breathe for a few seconds. As his long fringe brushed lightly against his forehead through the lines of the wind, numerous shadows casting on the tiled floor, his gloved hands tightened.

"What are you talking about, our Millennium Earl?" Tyki asked.

"From that time we are borne, we are already ready to complete what we should do." Rhode said, licking her lips wet and clean. Everyone in the room stared at him in determination and anticipation, wanting to get started immediately. The Earl, having heard the answer that he wanted, stood up.

"Then, let's get started."

* * *

_**Yuu...**_

_**Yuu...can you hear me?**_

He groaned, wondering who was calling him. He slowly opened his eyes, but all he could see was darkness.

_**Yuu, release me, and accept my powers. Accept my powers, and I will help you defeat those who are in your way.**_

_What...What is he talking about? What powers? _

_**It seems like you have forgotten about my real identity, Yuu. I live inside you. I am part of you.**_

_What in the hell are you talking about?_

Suddenly, a golden eye opened in the middle of the darkness and stared at him directly. Kanda stumbled back in shock as he just stood there, stunned. Somehow, his mind told him that this was not good and he had to run, but no matter how he wanted to escape, that eye would always follow him wherever he went, and that sharp stare just set him immobilised as it drew his attention, making him unable to move.

_What is...what is this feeling? It is like.....a terrifying monster that wants to devour him immediately. That eye.....shows the hungry desire of eating him up._

_**You want to run? Kanda Yuu, who does not run away from the enemy he faces, now stands there cowardly, having the intentions to run? My, my. How pathetic.**_

He frowned. That voice was starting to piss him off.

_**It's like day and night in contrast. You exist in the light, while I exist in the dark. We are dependable on each other. Without me, you do not exist. We need each other.**_

"Che. Who are you? Why are you in my body? Get out if you are inside."

_**Oh, get out? Are you chasing me away, Yuu? How hurting.**_

That mocking voice set him off as Kanda hissed, "Do not call me by that name!"

_**Angry? Infuriated? Or.....afraid? You cannot fool me, Yuu, because I am you. You may chase me out for now, but in the future, I am sure you will come back to me again. To seek for more power.**_

"Shut the fuck up, you lunatic!"

_**You will definitely come back to me, because we are part of each other. We are together as one in the first place. Sooner or later, you will start to depend me on extra power that you can never have. This is why I exist, Yuu. I exist for you.**_

"Get out of my head now! Get out!"

_**We will see each other again soon, Yuu, and when that time comes, I will know what your real desire is.**_

The golden eye slowly faded before the whole surroundings started to disappear.

_**I will wait for you....Yuu....**_

_**You and me...together, we will...**_

"You bastard!" Kanda shouted as he pulled out Mugen immediately and pointed at the one in front of him, breathing heavily.

"Y-Yuu-kun, it's me! It's me, Yuu-kun!" Kanda's eyes widened as the blade stopped, almost about two centimetres away from the older general's face. The poor general was so shocked at this that his whole face had turned rather pale.

"Sorry," Kanda said as he sheathed back his sword and sighed, wiping off the sweat on his forehead. His hand stopped, covering part of his face, as his eyes peered in between the gaps of his fingers, pondering.

What was that dream? Was it really a dream, or was that something that was going to happen? Whatever it was, it was giving him a bad feeling about this.

_I will wait for you.....Yuu..... _Kanda gasped as he saw the same golden eye watching him from the window. As he closed and opened his eye again, that eye was gone, replaced by his own reflections. The raven samurai leaned back as he closed his eyes, realising that his heart was pounding hardly onto his ribcage, making him nauseous. That sharp stare somehow had the ability to pull his attention forcefully to it, and as he looked at it, he could feel himself suffocating as his soul was slowly sucked out of him.

That type of feeling....was like a hand gripping tightly onto his heart. If he was not careful, he might lose his life.

"Yuu-kun, are you okay?" Kanda turned to General Tiedoll who was looking closely to him, worried. The raven teen just snorted in reply and turned away from his gaze.

"Che," General Tiedoll just smiled, glad that he was back to his old self. Kanda peered at the older general from the corner of his eye for a while, before he turned and stared outside the window. Morning had dawned, as all living things on earth had gotten up, getting ready to start a new day. The grass and flowers were swaying happily in the breeze, while some animals that he had observed outside were foraging. The sky was sky-blue in colour, as the sun was hanging in the middle of the fluffy clouds.

"Two more stops to Aurora. Think we should get ready." Kanda did not need to reply. He knew what he should do.

* * *

"Aurora. Aurora. All passengers who are alighting, please stand by the doors. I repeat..."

The train was reducing its speed as it entered a station. Kanda and General Tiedoll were already standing by the doors, getting ready to get down. As the announcement was finished, the train stopped and the doors were opened. As they stepped down the train, Kanda shivered a little as a strong breeze blew past. His breath vaporised into the cold air as he buttoned up all the buttons of his Exorcist coat and went to where General Tiedoll was, who was getting their bags.

"Yare, yare. Looks like the weather is turning cold soon."

"Ah," Kanda replied, staring at the empty sky. After taking their belongings, they set off for the exit as they entered a narrow path outside which would lead to Aurora City.

"My, what a beautiful scenery. If I can stop and take down this-"

"We have no time to sketch whatever scenery you have in mind, old geezer!" Kanda interrupted the older general's soft muttering loudly before he could finish it, making sure that he had heard every word that he had said clearly. General Tiedoll just stared at the other dumbly before letting out a sigh.

Must Kanda really have to spoil his mood? Just when he had the inspiration to draw......he totally crushed it. General Tiedoll sighed again at this thought.

The tall strands of grass was at both sides of the path as it swayed slightly to where the wind was blowing. Some dry leaves fluttered in the air before it descended slowly onto the ground. Several small birds flew in flocks as their chirps echoed in the sky. There were hardly any people sighted as this place was quiet.

"This place sure is rather empty," General Tiedoll commented, as he observed around the area.

"This is even worse," Kanda said, as they had arrived at the city. The wind blew as dirt and dust flew in the air, revealing an empty street in front of them. There was not a single soul present on the streets, as bits and pieces of papers and other stuffs fluttered in the air. It was as if they were in an abandoned city, a dead man's land.

The two Exorcists went inside, as they looked around. Even the houses were empty, as the doors creaked, swaying aside as the wind blew. Many things were abandoned, as no one was at home. No one was here, and it looked like this was not recent.

"What a cold feeling this place gives," General Tiedoll muttered. It felt creepier than he had imagined to be.

"General, looks like there is somebody who lives here," Kanda said, as he pointed to the clothes that were hanging outside. The ground below the clothes were slightly wet, meaning that it had been hung there for a while ago. They approached the house as Kanda knocked on the door.

"Is there anyone in? Hello?" Kanda called, but there was no reply. He frowned and stared at the older general, who just shrugged his shoulders, having no idea to this. As the both of them was about to leave, the door slowly opened, as a woman peeked outside, looking at them.

"Are you looking for somebody or something?" She asked quietly, in a way not to alert others that people had visited her house. Kanda's eyes narrowed as he could see her visibly trembling. She was afraid of something, but what?

"Um, where are the rest of the people living here?" General Tiedoll asked, but the lady just stared at them in horror and shock before she attempted to shut the door immediately. Before she could do that, a hand stopped her as it slammed towards the door, forcing the door to be open.

"Just as I thought. Something has happened in this city. Tell us, what has happened here?" Kanda demanded, a stern look in his eyes. The lady just stared at him in astonishment, fear never left her dark brown eyes before she closed her eyes and stood aside, letting them in.

"Please come in. I will explain."

"Thank you," General Tiedoll said as he put his hand on her shoulders as a way of thanking her. The lady just smiled in reply, lowering her head as she bowed slightly to them. As they entered the house, they found out that the place was smaller than they had thought to be. There were the basic necessities needed inside for one to live, but other than that, the whole house was totally shabby and old. Some parts of the wooden roof were hollow, resulting in leaking when it was raining. The curtains were torn and tattered, and there was only one small lamp to provide light when night arrived. Overall, the living conditions here were very bad.

"Please sit here. I go and get some water for all the both of you. Sorry, but I only have water available, though in very small amounts."

"Your name?" General Tiedoll asked politely. The lady flushed a little, before she answered back with the same politeness.

"You can call me Nel."

"The well is drying up soon?" Nel slowly nodded her head. General Tiedoll just looked at the surrounding and shook his head, not believing what he was seeing right now. By this, it was worse than poverty.

"Somehow, something is weird in this city," Kanda commented, feeling the strange atmosphere lingering around here. Ever since he had entered this city, he felt that the air was rather heavy, so heavy that he felt slightly hard to breathe. This empty yet chilling feeling just made him uneasy.

"Actually, it has been like that for the whole two months," Nel returned as she put two glasses of water onto the table.

"What do you mean?" Kanda asked. Nel just closed her eyes and sighed as she explained the whole story.

"Before this happens, Aurora City was once a very lively place. The street was always bustling with people in the day and night. The activities would never end, lasting for the whole day. It was like...a festival that would never end, as we villagers were contented with the life here. As long as I could remember, everyone was so happy, having a smile on their faces." Nel stopped to catch her breath as her face expression changed. She gripped onto her clothes as she continued.

"Then, something happened two months ago. There was a loud crash at the mountains, just at the back of the city. Some people were there at that time, and they went to take a look. When they reached there, they found something." She paused for a while.

"What is that?" General Tiedoll asked. Kanda was listening closely to her.

"It was a statue," She replied, her eyes closed once again.

"A statue?" Kanda repeated, puzzled.

"Yes, a statue. It was a statue of a very beautiful young boy, about the age of this young man over here," She pointed to Kanda, who did not react much to her remark. General Tiedoll just nodded his head.

"Ever since they found the statue, our living conditions here turned for the better. The food harvested was more than enough to last for the winter, and the miners digged a lot of ore minerals at the back of the mountains. The city was getting richer thanks to these ore that the people here had sold, so we thought that the statue brought us good luck for this city, and decided to carry it back to our city, making it our god whom we worshipped. But after that....after that..." The lady could not continue any further as she covered her face with both hands and broke down. General Tiedoll gently touched her shoulders as comfort. Kanda just peered at the only window here.

Though it was only a split second, he saw a leaf fell slowly, disappearing downwards.

"After they brought back the statue, bad things started to happen to our city. People started to go missing and never come back. The conditions here went from bad to worse, and some people here had died of hunger and starvation. Some tried to find those who turned missing, but once they went, they...did not come back again. They did not come back again. Not again..." She sobbed as tears fell from her eyes, dripping onto the wooden floor.

Echoes of weeping filled the house as no one said anything. Kanda looked up as a drop of water fell onto the wooden table, near to where he was sitting. He realised that there was a small hole at the roof, as another drop of water fell onto the table.

"One day, my husband woke up in the middle of the night, saying something strange before he walked out of the house. I tried to stop him, but no matter how I shouted and screamed for him, he did not stop. He did not hear my cries at all. It's like...he was being possessed. That was the last time I ever saw him."

"Possessed? Couldn't hear her cries?" Kanda thought. He looked at General Tiedoll who nodded his head, affirming their suspicions. The raven samurai took off his katana from his waist as he stood up suddenly, catching the attentions of the two of them. Kanda then headed for the door without a word.

"W-Wait, what are you doing?" Nel called out to him, having an uncertain look on her face. General Tiedoll just shook his head at Kanda's usual behaviour.

"That Yuu-kun...always making the decision by himself," The older general thought, sighing. Kanda turned around, a cold stoic expression shown on his face as he replied in a rather cold tone, "I go and check in this. It may be due to an Innocence."

"In-Innocence?" Nel asked, bewildered. She turned around as she felt a gentle tap on her shoulders, looking at the general as he smiled at her.

"I will explain to you about our reason here. Actually, we are Exorcists, clergyman from the Black Order." The general explained, as he took a glass of water and started to drink. Kanda's glass remained untouched, as the raven teen stood there, listening.

"Black Order?" She asked, having a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Yes. We specialise in using the powers of Innocence. An Innocence is a small green crystal that provides compatible people with powers to fend off the enemy. As far as we have known, the Innocence is a rather mysterious matter and up till now, we still do not really know what it is made up of and how much power is stored inside this small crystal," General Tiedoll put his hand into his pocket as he rummaged inside, before taking out a shimmering green crystal, holding it in his palm.

"Th-This is..." She said, her eyes widened in astonishment as the lady's hand slowly moved towards the crystal, completely attracted by its beauty. Before the tip of her finger touched the crystal, something grabbed her wrist, making her turned around to see Kanda standing there, frowning.

"I suggest that you should not touch the Innocence that casually. Not any ordinary people is able to touch the Innocence easily. There will be side effects if the Innocence rejects you." The lady redrew her hand immediately as she stared at the shining crystal in fear, before she stared at her shaking hand.

"I'm...I'm very sorry!" She bowed down, apologising. General Tiedoll just frowned and sighed in resignation at the samurai's crude behaviour.

"Don't mind him, but he is right though. Only chosen people can possess this type of power provided by the Innocence," General Tiedoll spoke in a bright tone to clear the tense situation before it got any more awkward. He then looked at the stoic one who chose not to say a word.

"And Yuu-kun, you do not need to be that fierce right? Nel does not mean that way." Kanda glared at him before staring back at her. Nel gulped and took a step back, receiving the piercing gaze in the dark sapphire eyes. Kanda then closed his eyes and turned around, heading for the door. He could not waste too much time here chit-chatting without getting a single clue about what exactly had happened in this city. If there was really an Innocence here, he would retrieve it back, even if it would cost his life.

No, he should not say that. For now, his life must not be thrown away. Not until he found that stupid beansprout and seeked for that person who gave him the curse seal of the lotus flower, after defeating the Millennium Earl. Until then, he could not die - No, he must not die.

"Wait, if I did not remember wrongly, my husband did say something before he left..." Kanda's eyes narrowed as he turned around, wanting to hear it. General Tiedoll was looking at her seriously.

"What did he say? What did he say before he left?" Kanda asked impatiently before he realised that her voice had changed. The lady just muttered something in her mouth before she turned to them. Her face was blank, and she just stared at them, not saying a word suddenly.

"Oi, what happened? Oi, can you hear me?" The raven-haired Exorcist touched her shoulders and shook it. There was no reply from the other. Kanda frowned by her changed behaviour. His right hand was reaching for his sword slowly, having a feeling that he might need it.

"That voice is calling me. That person, who is precious to me more than anything else...He is calling for me. I have to go...to him." She spoke slowly like lifeless person, before she slowly turned around and started to walk towards the door.

"Oi, stop! Don't tell me..." Kanda's voice trailed off, before he started to chase after her. General Tiedoll stood up and ran after the raven samurai. As they went outside, they realised that they were surrounded by thick, white fog, making them unable to see the city around them clearly.

"What...!" Kanda thought, shocked at the mist surrounding them. He looked around, but the lady's presence had disappeared without a trace. Just now the mist was not here and now...what in the world had happened?!

"Yuu-kun! Yuu-kun!" Kanda heard the voice of the general as he saw a tall figure approaching him. He gritted his teeth as he pulled out Mugen, carefully analysing the situation. He did not know whether he was an enemy, or he was General Tiedoll himself. Even though that was his voice, he still must be on alert. No one could predict what might happen in here, when they could not depend on their sight.

"You...who are you?!" Kanda said as he thrusted his sword forward, only to be stopped by two hands as General Tiedoll was in front.

"It's me, Yuu-kun. Don't be so tense." Kanda just hissed in reply and looked around, trying to figure out where they were.

"Ah, it looks like this mist is giving us a problem ne," General Tiedoll said, scratching his hair in frustration.

"That lady disappeared in a flash just when I stepped out of the house. Something's not right here."

"Yeah. Something's really not right here, and I have a bad feeling about this." The both of them stayed side by side together, wary as they guarded themselves. Before they could even gather their thoughts and realised it, something sharp were already pointing at their backs threateningly, as a dark shadow appeared within the mist, its red malice eyes glowing darkly.

"Welcome, my _kawaii _Exorcists. How sad, but your lives end here!"

* * *

_Where...is he? _

_It was dark, but he felt light, as if he was really flying._

_What good feeling this brought him...it is like, all his frustrations in his mind was gone. It was like...living in a world with no disturbance, no interference, no sadness..._

_It felt...good. He wishes that he could be like this forever._

_Forever..._

_Forever..._

"LAVI!!!!"

_His eyes snapped open. It sounded familiar. Who is it?_

"Lavi! Wake up! Wake up, can you? I demand you to wake up this instant! Lavi!"

_Her voice was filled with grief and sorrow, stabbing his heart as though it was a weapon. What...why was she calling him like that? Isn't he supposed to disappear in front of everyone, lingering in this darkness?_

_He had no reasons to go there...no reasons..._

_Wait!_

"You promised to get the two of them back if they are taking too long! You promised!"

_She continued to sob, as her muffled voice was getting softer._

"Don't die...don't die, Lavi."

His eyes snapped open as he opened his mouth and inhaled a large amount of oxygen in the air into his dry lungs. Soft, relieved gasps were heard as he breathed in more slowly, wondering where he was. Before he could get to see clearly on where he was, he felt a sudden grip tightened at his chest, making him wheeze hardly as he coughed.

"I'm glad...that you are alright."

"Lenalee?" He spoke, staring at the olive-haired girl whose head was down and her hands wrapped tightly around his stomach and towards his chest. He could not see her face, but could have guessed what had happened hearing soft, muffled cried beneath his uniform. Lavi tried to shift his body to a comfortable position, but couldn't as Lenalee gripped him more tightly than before.

"Lenalee, you are..." Frankly he was a little uncomfortable with the positions they were in.

"I thought..."

"Lenalee?" He moved in closer to hear what she was saying.

"I thought...you are dead. From the moment I felt none of your heartbeat, I thought you are dead. Dead..."

Lavi remained there, not saying anything. As Lenalee kept mumbling something under her lips, his eyes widened, realising that she was crying. The redhead sighed as he gently pulled her into his embrace, trying to calm her down by his warm palm on her back.

"Lavi?" She murmured, uncertain of what he was doing.

"I'm really alright, so don't cry anymore. Crying doesn't suit you, Lenalee."

Lenalee blinked with her wet eyes at his chest, before she gradually closed them, pulling Lavi's warm radiating body closer to her.

"By the way, have you seen Gramps around?"

"If you say Bookman, he has gone somewhere on an errand." Lenalee said, looking up at Lavi before separating herself from him, standing up. She gave a meek smile, straightening her Exorcist uniform before looking elsewhere, a little embarrassed about what was happening just now. Lavi did not notice it as he stood up, wondering where that short old man had been.

* * *

_Just as I have suspected, that matter which had ended long ago is not that simple. Komui might have hit the right spot about this..._

Bookman was at the outskirts of a nearby town near the Order as he sprinted on, as fast as he could, until he arrived at an inn. He went in and muttered something to the person at the counter before the person nodded his head and gestured him to follow him. As the two people walked upstairs and along the corridor, they stopped at a door and the person gestured him again before he left.

"Password."

"_nslzfhhgoszjhfo. _(Okay, this password has no meaning! I just create it myself._. )_" _Bookman replied. The door slowly opened afterwards, revealing a dimly lit room. Bookman stepped into the room, seeing three other people wearing in dark green capes, covering their appearances completely. They did not use the room lights but candles, as the small flames flickered weakly.

"Why are you here, Bookman?" One of them asked in a low eerie tone. Bookman just bowed before he said,

"Sorry to disturb all of you, but I need the clan's help in checking something that I have discovered recently. It's regarding the activities of the Black Organisation in the past."

_I depend on you now, Bookman._

Komui sighed as he twisted his pen between his fingers, staring at the ceiling with worry. He then stared down at the pile of documents and a large book on his table. The Chinese man frowned as he opened the cover page of the book, revealing a symbol with many ancient wordings on it, but he was very sure it was the curse that the raven-haired Exorcist was carrying. Komui felt the edge of the yellow page with his fingers, not able to figure out to what was happening here. Why would Kanda's lotus curse be found in one of the books of the Organisation's library? Such curses were unknown, and the knowledge were very wide-based. He was even surprised to find such knowledge here. It would be good in a sense, as he could get to know more about that curse and chances of removing that curse from Kanda's body would thus be high, but he was not very sure now. Was this considered to be lucky, or was there something that was more complicated than this?

He turned to stare at the hourglass with the lotus flower at the corner of the desk. He looked at the bottom, and realised that many had fallen in these few days while he was on mission. The pink flower was getting so small that everything might just wither and rot away. The flame continued to burn, but no one knew when its end would come. And when it really came, it would be the end of him. Komui closed the book and pressed his whole weight against the creaking chair of his, not seeming to figure out the answer to his puzzle.

"Nii-san?"

Komui blinked, realising that Lenalee was here. His moody face broke into a smile immediately, welcoming her.

"You are here, Lenalee. So, what brings you here?"

Lenalee walked to the couch and sat down, not saying a word. Komui looked at her in puzzlement, wondered why she was in such distressed mood nowadays. As he thought, Lenalee was not suitable to bear such huge burdens brought by her title as an Exorcist and the harsh reality that she was facing. This was war, after all.

"Lavi almost died just now."

"Lavi?"

He had no idea what his sister was saying.

"He's in the infirmary." Komui's eyes narrowed. Lenalee would not lie, especially to him. If what she said was true, then Lavi...

Damn, what in the world had happened again? This time, it was the future Bookman! Komui grunted softly in frustration and ruffled up his hair messily with his hand.

"So, how is he now?"

"Not sure."

He stared at her, very sure that she had cried. Closing his tired eyes, he wondered how long they had to sustain in this war. Everyone was so exhausted, and so many problems had started to surface, that he wondered whether it was fate that was playing with them. Maybe...the answer was already decided.

"That we will win?"

Allen just frowned at his string of jokes as he walked ahead. He wished that Tyki would just stop. The jokes weren't even funny at all.

"Tyki, you are making Allen angry!" Rhode grunted as she folded her arms in displeasure, staring hardly at the other.

"Ah, I make our little princess angry? Okay, okay. I shall not embarrass this little cute prince any longer." Tyki sang as he darted his gaze towards the silver-haired Noah every now and then. Jesdero and David just gave a disgusted face while Lulubell did not comment.

"Stop it, Tyki, before I blow your brains with my hand." Allen warned in a growling low tone, his flashing golden eyes narrowed. Everyone blinked and stared at him with astonishment. Tyki knew that he had gone too far and laughed, deciding to stop teasing this cute little boy.

"I am just teasing you, that's all."

"Sometimes it's better to know where you are standing."

"What?!?" David screeched loudly as he lunged for Allen, only to be stopped by Lulubell and Jasdero.

"David, why are you making such a fuss over this?" Rhode asked in a quir voice.

"Damn it, do you know what the hell he was even saying?!? Who are you, our boss?!?"

"But it is true that Allen is one of the oldest Noah around, having the same rank as Rhode." Tyki pointed out, not seemed to care or humiliated by Allen's comment just now.

"But!"

"I think we are wasting our time here talking useless and senseless stuffs. Shall we go?"

"Ah la, Allen's really angry now. No...he is so eager to start on his very first mission." Rhode spoke softly, an evil smile crept up to her sadist face. Tyki adjusted his black hat on his head as that smile of his splitting personality started forming on his face again. The twins sniggered like children, while Lulubell's bell attached to her hair jiggled and echoed through the empty hallway. Noting that everyone's ready, Allen stepped forward and stretched out his left hand.

"Let's go, Ark."

.:.:.:. ~*_Tears of Moonlight*~ .:.:.:._

A strong breeze blew by as Marie stood outside, looking at the weather. He then looked at the pocket watch that he possessed.

It was exactly 3o'clock in the afternoon. He touched his hearing aids closely as he used his Innocence to detect any object a few metres away from him. The whispers of the wind whistled very clearly through his ears, as he noted that it was blowing from the south. He sniffed the light scent in the air as he closed his eyes.

"Marie-san," A female voice was heard as he turned around, seeing his comrade, Miranda, walking out of a store. He nodded his head slightly as a greeting.

"So has it been done?"

"Ah, yes! Yes..." She stammered slightly, her eyes peering above as she bit her finger, wondering whether she had done everything correctly. Marie just looked at her before he shook his head, knowing how muddlehead she was.

"Miranda, you return back to the Black Order and give Komui the report for this mission," Marie instructed, handing her a brown file. The woman just timidly nodded her head as she gulped, holding the file in great care.

"And you, Marie-san? Do you need to go somewhere after this?" Marie did not say anything for a moment as he stared at the sky again.

"Ah." It was time to go and meet them.

* * *

_"Welcome, my kawaii Exorcists. How sad, but your lives end here!"_

Kanda's eyes widened in shock and horror as he felt something unknown pointing dangerously behind him. He tilted his head a little as he could faintly see a black shadow lurking behind, that pair of red eyes never left them. The raven's eyes narrowed immediately at the unknown enemy who had approached them, and wondered who he or she was. The person was so fast in giving them a surprise attack that he did not even notice her presence! Kanda stared at the mist surrounding them and hissed, cursing under his breath.

"Um, may I ask who you are?" General Tiedoll raised his hand and asked a question. Kanda just gave him a hard stare. They had fallen into a dangerous situation, and yet this old man had the time to even joke with him?!

"Ah, you are about to die under my hands, yet you still have the mood to ask such questions? Fine, I will tell you." From her low singing voice, Kanda was very sure that the enemy here was a woman, but what eyes she had! They brought a strong feeling of malice, and the aura surrounding her was dark and murderous, wanting to devour them bit by bit and let them die a painful death. Kanda tried to invocate his Innocence, but was stopped by something gripping tightly on his Mugen, refusing him to do so.

"Tch, let me go! Who in the hell are you?!" Kanda yelled, trying to get off by struggling, but something was slashed on his back as he hollered and collapsed onto the ground forward, his hands touching the ground as he hissed softly, bearing with the excruciating pain.

"Damn, when did she attack?! I cannot see it coming at all!" Kanda thought, his body trembling violently as his body was going into shock. He hissed, preventing himself from falling out of consciousness at this crucial moment.

"Yuu-kun, are you alright?!?" General Tiedoll yelled to his favourite disciple. He could not move from his position, knowing very well what would happen if he tried it. His eyes widened as blood was dripping from his back, but Kanda just snorted in reply and looked up.

"I'm...okay..." He muttered softly as his head drooped downwards again due to the intense pain that was killing his whole body. The enemy hidden from view witnessed this and broke into crackled laughter, enjoying every bits of the spectcular show meant solely for her and only her to watch.

"Hahaha! The two of you have really entertained me fully. Especially you, brat. Don't act too cocky if you do not have the ability to defeat me! You should know when it is the time to submit yourself to me!" She spat coldly as Kanda felt a hard push on his body and fell flat onto the hard ground, his body sprawled like a frog in fours. The raven groaned in pain as he coughed out blood immediately, the red crimson liquid splattering all over the ground.

"Damn, you..." Kanda hissed, his hand reaching out for Mugen which he had dropped earlier, but he broke into a scream again when something hard was crushing his whole right hand, breaking all the bones and nerves. That thing continued to push its weight deeper onto his broken hand, making the hand immobile.

"Heh, this way, you cannot use your right hand to wield your sword now, brat! Die!" Kanda's eyes managed to track the attack sent by the unknown enemy and dodged to the other side with his quick leg movements, but the serious back injury was putting a burden to him as he collapsed, breathing heavily.

He looked around, frankly searching for her, but all he heard was laughter coming from everywhere, and the mist seemed to be getting thicker as time passed. They had no time. If they could not think of any solution to this, they would be done for.

"Yuu-kun?" General Tiedoll asked as he saw Kanda staggering up slowly to his feet and closed his eyes instead, not doing anything. The old general then realised what the raven samurai was intending to do and smiled.

* * *

"Ne, why are they not saying a word since, Mimi?"

"I don't know."

"Ne, do you think it's a trap? Maybe they have come out with something..."

"SHUT UP, FEI!" The grey-coloured child blocked the attack with his two arms as he stumbled backwards slightly. He redrew his arms and looked up, seeing a rather pissed off woman glaring murderously back at him.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?" A small twitch was noticed at the side of her eye as she sent another smack at the boy who jumped up midair, dodging the hit as he landed on the ground lightly like a feather, having a blank expression on his face.

Ne, what are you doing?" The woman just moved her metal wings lightly as she growled, "Don't disturb me when I'm playing with my food!"

"Food?" He repeated, giving a weird look. Mimi glanced at him with a disgusted look. She grunted as she turned away from his attention, focusing on dealing with the two Exorcists that she had caught.

"Heh, you would not understand anyway. Just keep the mist going, you stupid!" The boy made a face as he bit his lip, deciding not to say a word. His stretched pale hands, which were emitting out thick smoke, glowed faintly in a green light as more smoke came out of his hands, burying the whole city with his mist.

"Heh, though it's hard to see here, but thanks to Earl-sama's powers, we can see through them easily!" She sniggered inside the white mask that she was wearing as her long pink hair slowly fluttered down to her shoulders, travelling down her neck to her chest. Some strands of her hair was between her eyes and the mask as she patted her black collared uniform gently to get rid of any dust that might stain her clean, precious and beautiful clothes. Her long slender legs were grey in colour as some black curvy lines were seen partially, while her fingernails acted like knives which could cut the hardest material into bits.

"Ne, baa-chan, is Reiki going to do it?" She raised an eyebrow as she turned to him.

"Of course he would, and he never fails...what, what in the fucking hell did you say just now?!?" She shrieked, many veins popping out of her head which was going to explode.

"Baa-chan, you are noisy." Mimi's anger was at the boiling point as she swore many times deep inside her heart that she would thrash that stupid brain of his till he turned into a fucking retard! How...how dared he say that she was a...BAA-CHAN?!?

_Baa-chan...baa-chan...baa-chan...baa-chan..._Mimi crushed that chants in her mind, cursing vulgarities and other stuffs under her breath.

The blue hair of Fei that was tied up into a short ponytail just sighed as he decided to ignore that granny beside him, who was in her crazy mode again. His expression changed slightly as he winced, touching the black patch covering his right eye.

"Haha, that's your retribution for calling me a baa-chan, Fei!" Aidera sneered.

"No."

"No...?" The boy lowered his head for a while before he looked up, a smirk on his face.

"He is excited. He _desperately _wants a grand finale for this exciting show."

-

_Heartbeats. Breathing._

_The...whispers of the wind._

_The light brush...of the mist._

_Houses were around them. There were two stalls...no, three stalls at the vicinity within a few metres radius._

_Twelve birds were flying in the sky._

_A leaf were fluttering in the air, slowly descending to the ground._

_There were two enemies surrounding them. Their location was..._

"Die!" Something shot out of the mist suddenly towards Kanda, who had not seemed to realise.

"Yuu-kun! Look out!" General Tiedoll shouted to alert him, but it was too fast. The samurai...could not dodge it in time. The old general shut his eyes, not bearing to see what had happened next. There was a quick brush of wind on the dirtied ground as a sharp piercing sound echoed through the silent air.

"Got you."

Strands of the dark-blue hair swept beautifully through the lines of the wind. General Tiedoll's eyes snapped open, shocked at what he saw. The mist was gradually receding, as Kanda's Mugen penertrated through Aidera's body. His other free hand was at Fei's face, as the astonished boy deflected the attack by his arms crossed together. The raven samurai was a little surprised that he was able to detect his quick movement very fast.

"You..." Mimi hissed lowly, as her long fingernails started to aim towards the raven at an incredible speed, attacking him at different angles at the same time. Kanda pulled out the sword from her body and jumped back, deflecting the multiple attacks with his swordplay as his legs and body dodged accordingly, his moves nice and neat, with no openings for the enemy to attack.

"He...is good." Fei commented, serious.

"First illusion, kaichu ichigen!" Kanda shouted with a slight croaked voice. It was so hard controlling his right hand's movement with the sword when his hand was badly broken. Ignoring the trembles added with extreme pain through his nerves, he released blue hellish insects out of his katana, hitting her directly at her chest. She could not dodge it in time, sending her flying backwards at great speed as she crashed hardly onto one of a stone building which crumbled down together with her weight.

"Baa-chan, we have to retreat," Fei leaped to her side and caught her in time. He put her right arm around his neck to support her. Mimi opened her eyes weakly and just scoffed, "We...cannot leave. Not...yet. And don't...call me baa-chan, brat." Fei just sighed in reply.

_Help us, Shikai. _He closed his eyes.

_Yes, Fei-chan. _Mist slowly covered their presence as they disappeared. Kanda's body was already at its limit as he started to collapse, unconscious. The old general caught him in his arms before he fell onto the ground. Kanda grunted as a way of saying thanks to that old geezer, before he struggled up shakily with the help of his sword. Seeing that the raven Exorcist was fine, the older general turned to the mess that they had created, an uneasy thought appeared in his mind.

"That is..."

**-**

_**Yuu...**_

_**Open your eyes, Yuu. **_

He felt a soft but warmth touch on his face, as he groaned softly, wondering where he was.

_**Yuu, you cannot die yet. It will be I who decide on your fate.**_

He jerked, realising whose voice it belonged to. His eyes snapped open, finding himself in a dimension where there was no one around. Kanda hissed and chased off that disgusting warmth from him, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at anywhere where the voice might be coming from.

_**How naive. You know that you cannot chase me off just by waving that pair of weak hands like that.**_

"Shut up, and get out of my head."

_**You are so cruel. As I thought, I have stayed in this state for too long. My friend who owns this cute container do not have such pathetic character as you.**_

"I do not care about that. Now get out of my head."

_**No, no. This is not the way to order people like that. Frankly, I'm really surprised to who that person is, taming your character to this state. The old Kanda Yuu is not like this piece of shit standing in front of me.**_

"Che. Same to the coward person who does not _dare _to show his revolted face when he is speaking."

The voice stopped for a few minutes. Kanda's hand went to the sword on his waist, gradually pulling it out. He was surprised that he could still use it when he was in his subconscious state, but whatever. At least there was a way to get out of this place. He did not have any time to waste on this useless crap.

_**It is unnecessary to show my face to you, Kanda Yuu, when you have not fully prepared on what you are going to see. Unless you are fearless of anything and is able to withstand my powers, you can see my looks many times you please.**_

"I'm not interested." Kanda spat out as he pointed Mugen at an empty space, assuming where that voice was coming from.

"Get out of my head now."

Silence. Then laughter broke out, as that voice started laughing.

_**What are you going to do with that useless sword of yours? Your Innocence powers are also part of my powers. It is I who help to keep it under control. You should know very well that you are just an artificial -**_

"Just shut the fuck up and get out of my head! Now!" Kanda growled loudly, activating his Innocence. The sizzling electricity moved through this dimension, tearing the whole place down. As the whole area started to collapse, the voice sniggered and gave its word of advice.

_**No matter where you run, you know that you cannot escape from your fate. This is your eternal punishment, for having such ugly and disgusting monster in you.**_

_**You are me, and I am you.**_

_**Do not forget, Yuu.**_

_**We will see each other again.**_

Kanda sat up suddenly as he woke up from a horrible nightmare that he had experienced, but it was not already the first time he had a dream of someone talking to him, and that haunted feeling just horrified him so much that he was always short of breath whenever he was awakened, like he was finally out of its tight grasp. The raven teen then hissed in pain as the pain on his back and his broken hand returned. He pressed his left hand on his forehead as he groaned softly, wondering how many days he had slept through. The exhaustion and fatigue had somehow exceeded the limit his body could hold, and he collapsed.

He grimaced as his bandaged hands were slowly clenched. What did _he _want from him?

He looked around at where he was, and found this place rather familiar, like he had come here before. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened previously before he fainted as those memories just shot into his mind, making his head throbbed badly. His hand touched his forehead as he winced, recalling everything that he had done yesterday.

"Shit! The Innocence!" Kanda thought, as he did not care about the pain and grabbed his sword, moving towards the door. Just as he was about to open the door, the door opened and General Tiedoll was standing outside.

"Yuu-kun, where do you think you are going? You are still injured!"

"It does not matter! The Innocence is still out there and they might retrieve while I was sleeping just now!" Kanda demanded, swinging the door open by his left hand, but hissed as he touched his left arm, blood gradually seeping out of the wound.

"From the looks of this, you definitely are not suitable to fight in this state! Get in and rest!"

"But!" General Tiedoll just stared at him hardly and pointed inside, showing his firmness. Kanda grunted in frustration as he went in with the old general, sitting on a nearby stool and frowned.

"You might find this place familiar. This is where the lady we met previously used to stay." Kanda's eyes gradually widened as he finally recalled. The old general lit up the only small lamp here as the weak flame flickered. General Tiedoll sighed as he pulled another stool and sat down across the raven.

"But...you have seen their appearances yesterday right?" Kanda nodded his head, affirming his suspicions.

"They seem to be like Akumas, and have powers like Akumas, but their form is almost human form when they transformed yesterday. Somehow, something has changed."

"Ah, something has changed, and I don't think the Order has gotten this yet. It's really a wonder how the Millennium Earl improves his pieces of art in all these years when the egg in the Ark is almost destroyed by us." Kanda grunted as he stared at the flickering flame glowing in the slight darkness.

"Most likely, he must have used the time while the egg is being repaired to research and make more advanced Akumas, but...are they really Akumas? Those grey machines that have appearances beyond recognition...are they really that?" Kanda asked. It really took him by surprise when he attacked them that he was stunned even for a few minutes. The bodies that they were in...there was no doubt that they were in human forms, but they were not humans in the first place. Kanda frowned. What in the world was happening? What things had they missed out in the past few years?

"We have to inform the Order about this -"

"No, just tell Komui about this." General Tiedoll was astonished at Kanda's answer.

"What?" Kanda sighed again as he repeated.

"Just...inform only Komui about this. I don't want the two of them to find out that I am outside." General Tiedoll nodded his head, understood. Kanda stood up and took his Mugen by his hands, ready to go out. They could not waste any time here. It was getting crucial.

"Let's go, old man."

"But..." General Tiedoll then realised that nothing said would be able to convince him to stay. He shook his head in defeat as he walked towards the door, where the raven samurai was waiting.

"Okay, but make sure that you don't overdo it, understand?" Kanda did not reply back as they walked deeper inside the city, in search of the Innocence. The wind blew gently through the empty place as it brushed against the ground, sending the fallen leaves and the dirt flying in the air. The atmosphere was rather dead, with no presence of any living thing here. Kanda observed around the area, making sure that he took down the places that he had passed by, in case the same incident yesterday happened again. Making sure of where they were allowed him to pinpoint where the enemy might be when the mist surrounded them once again.

He looked at the corner of his eyes as he slowed down his pace. Something was amiss here. He walked closer to General Tiedoll, making sure that he was within his range of sight.

"Looks like we are not alone." Kanda's eyes narrowed as he stared at one of the corners of the city.

"What's wrong, Yuu-kun?" Kanda closed his eyes and snorted as he continued his way in search of the Innocence.

"No. Nothing."

* * *

"Has Kanda Yuu discovered our presences?" One person dressed in black asked in a whisper to the other wearing a black cape and sunglasses. The person removed his sunglasses, revealing two small black spots on his face as his golden hair brushed against his face slightly.

"He might have found us, or he have not found us yet." He replied, standing up and walked out of the alley into the main street, looking at where the Exorcists had gone to. The other person who was with him followed him behind, stopping beside him.

"What should we do?" He tuck some strands of his golden hair behind his ears as he wore his sunglasses once again, staring at the sun which was shining directly at the black lens. He took a step forward as he put both of his hands into the pockets, breathing out slowly.

"For now, we shall not do anything. Remember that our current mission is to track them and observe their movements, and then report them to the inspector. This mission is top-secret, so no one must know that we are doing this." The other nodded his head in agreement. He put his hand at his chest as he lowered his head.

"Yes, Link-sama." Link took out his notebook and stared at one of the pages seriously. He sighed as he snapped the book shut and slid it inside his cape.

"Kanda Yuu..."

* * *

_Lavi..._

Blood were everywhere. It was dark, and he could not see anything, but that horrifying voice would continue to ring in his head, not seeming to stop.

_Lavi..._

He badly wanted it to stop. He groaned, staring at the darkness with pleading eyes. But that hysterical voice laughed even louder, mocking at his own stupidity, as though it was drawing out his hidden weakness. It was as though his whole ugly self that he did not want to show had been exposed completely.

_Lavi..._

Why must it had to be...his voice?

Lavi's eyes snapped open. He breathed heavily, before he swallowed his saliva down his dry throat and closed his tired eyes for a while, feeling his sweaty forehead. His lips parted slightly, as he realised that it was only a dream.

He opened his eyes again, looking at the surroundings. After much recollection, he realised that he was in the infirmary, after so many things had happened. Sighing, Lavi turned to stare blankly at the white ceiling, not able to forget what that dream brought him. Since he had that same dream, or nightmare, he always had an uneasy feeling, as though something drastic was going to happen among them. Lavi gripped onto the covers, hiding his face partially.

Everything in that nightmare looked so real. The redhead thought for a moment, before he got out of bed, grabbed his Exorcist uniform by the side of the bed, and rushed out of the infirmary. A nurse noticed him and called out for him, but he ignored it, focusing on what he was going to do in his mind. He had to do it, or else he would not be at ease.

"Yuu! Yuu! Yuu!" Lavi's shouts boomed through the corridors as the redhead was frantically searching for him. It was very rare not to find Kanda anywhere. Lavi bit his lip as he looked around, the uneasiness building up within him. Thoughts started to form in his mind, but he just chased them off.

He was not going to give up.

"Yuu!" Lavi slammed into his room and looked around. He was not there.

"Yuu!" He yelled as loud as he could as everyone held their hands to their ears, feeling the hard vibration ringing inside their ears.

He was not there.

"Yuu!" He opened the door of the training room.

He was not there.

"Yuu, where in the world are you?!? Don't scare me, Yuu! Yuu!" Lavi pulled the sliding door aside hardly as he looked inside the room where Kanda used to meditate whenever he had nothing to do. Lavi's breathing stopped for a slight moment as a sudden cold wind wheezed past him, and what greeted him was an empty room, with a few things inside. Lavi just stood there for a moment before he slowly stepped his foot inside, glancing around. The emerald eyes slowly turned to the straw mat, where Kanda always sat there straight with his eyes closed. That stoic man would never move a single muscle from his position as he meditated. No matter what was happening around him, he remained silent, having a calm look on his face as he concentrated on his thoughts.

This room was filled with a faint lotus scent of Kanda's. Somehow, without Kanda here, this room was even emptier than usual.

Suddenly, Lavi's eyes widened as he vaguely saw a very faint figure of Kanda sitting on the mat, his eyes closed. Thinking that it was really Kanda, Lavi ran to him immediately, only to realise that it was nothing but his imagination that made him think that Kanda was still there. Lavi slowly inhaled before he slumped onto the mat.

What was he thinking? Why did he feel so lost when he could not find Kanda anywhere? His chest was tightening so much that he felt like choking, and his heart hurt. Lavi tugged onto his Exorcist uniform as he tried to calm his heart down by breathing slowly, in and out, in and out.

Why was he feeling this way? It was the same painful feeling when they lost Allen. It was like a sword that was stabbed into the middle of his chest, and now, that invisible wound still continued to bleed, burning through his skin and his flesh. Lavi stared at the ceiling blankly, his eyes narrowed slowly, as tears welled up his eyes and rolled down his face. He did not want to experience such excruciating pain again. For his friends, for those who were important to him, he would do anything-just, anything - to protect them.

Even if it meant that he was going against the Bookman Clan's rules, he would still do it.

If they disallowed him, he would challenge the rules.

If they locked him up, he would force himself to get out and escape, even if it meant injuring himself.

"Yuu! Where are you?!? Yuu!" Lavi hollered till his throat hurt. He did not want anything else, only the safetys of his friends. What happened to Allen must never happen to another person again.

"Yuu, where are you..." Lavi murmured softly, his eyes seeing the sparkling view from above. The grip on his uniform tightened as he shut his teary eyes, praying hardly in his heart that everything would be alright. Yes, it would be alright. It surely would be alright.

"Lavi," Lavi's eyes snapped open as he sat up immediately, turning to the door. Bookman was standing there, looking at him. The redhead was surprised that he had come back from his mission, or maybe he had spent too much of his time finding Kanda, that he did not notice it.

"Panda gramps...you are back. You...found me." Lavi mumbled with a weak voice as he forced a light smile, trying to erase his pain shown all over his face.

Bookman did not say anything, his eyes continuing to stare at him.

"N-Ne, gramps! Don't stare at me like that! What thing has grown on my face? Mushrooms?" Lavi asked, and laughed loudly at his own joke that he had created, but Bookman still did not respond, looking at him. Lavi stopped laughing and turned away, wondering why that stupid joke of his was not funny.

He hated...that eyes.

"Why are you here?" Lavi stayed quiet, not intending to reply. Bookman entered the room and leaned against the wall, sighing.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Ah, nothing," Lavi simply replied and said no more. Bookman observed his face with that sharp eyes of his, as if he was searching for his hidden emotions, wanting to expose his lies. It was as if that stare was burning in him, like the heat of the blistering sun that shone directly on his exposed self. Lavi fidgeted even more, having the urge to run away immediately.

"About...Kanda?" There was a slight flinch from Lavi, before he switched back to his emotionless state.

"No...no...no..." Lavi's voice trailed off, before he gasped and realised that his voice was shaky. He slapped his forehead lightly, cursing himself. Why was he not acting in his usual self lately?

"He might be doing his mission at the moment, but even I am not sure." Bookman continued.

But that inspector and two-spots would surely observe his actions strictly! All because we are Allen's closest friends..." Lavi hissed angrily as his hands were clenched tightly, feeling the surge of anger rising up his body.

"But you cannot blame their opinion towards Allen when he joined the enemy. To the both of them, and the rest of the people in the Order, he is considered a threat, and must be eliminated..." Bookman stopped as Lavi was already in front of him, his fist raised in the air, but that hit never went down, as his hand started to tremble.

"So even you think that Allen is a traitor?!? Is it, gramps?!?" Lavi shouted, trying to control the trembles travelling all over his body. His voice started to soften as it turned to a mere whisper that was drowned away by the howls of the wind. The both of them glared at each other hardly, as time seemed to pass by slowly.

"Lavi," Bookman called him again. Lavi's eyes gradually softened before a tear slowly escaped from his eyes. He moved himself as he faced the wall, concealing himself inside the area of darkness.

"Gramps, I wonder whether I'm too weak. If only that I'm stronger...if only that I'm stronger, I can save Allen..." Lavi said weakly. Bookman's eyes widened slightly. He had never seen Lavi that upset and depressed before. It was the first time that the redhead had lost that bright radiance that was reflected in his actions and grins.

"If only that I'm stronger! I would do anything to let this happen! Anything!" He muttered, hitting the wall several times till his hand hurt, but he did not care. He had thrown everything away. His family, his home, his memories and his name...all were abandoned as he started to forget the happenings around him and started a new life, having a new identity and a new personality. He thought that he had grown stronger this way. Having nothing to depend on, and having to get used to this type of cold loneliness, he thought this had hardened most of his emotions. Nothing could waver him, but after this, he realised that he was the same as an ordinary human after all. No one would possibly hide all of his emotions away into the darkness. If he could, he would not be human anymore.

"Lavi, do not let yourself sink further into the war and the people around you. The more you are attached to them, the more you cannot break them, and when there is a need to break it, it would be more difficult," Bookman said sternly to his disciple, reminding him that he was going to take over his current position, becoming Bookman.

"Gramps, are you making the situation worse?!? I...know, I know!" Lavi exclaimed in frustration, looking at the shorter man in return.

"Lavi, your emotions are wavered. It's already so obvious after so many things happened." Lavi's eyes widened in shock at this remark, before he smiled and knocked his head gently against the wall, covering his exhausted eyes from view. Bookman was right. He realised that his heart was starting to waver from his determinations of taking the role of Bookman. He started to respond to the slightest emotion, and he did not think in a calm and rational way. When his friends were in trouble, all he thought in his mind was to save them immediately, not wanting to do anything else.

From the day he stepped into the Order to become an Exorcist, he was already changing. The Lavi, who was once an emotionless person viewing the tragedies of different wars, now showed feelings and expressions of a normal human being.

_"Lavi, why did you show emotions towards others? You are Bookman. Bookman should not be so shaken just because of the sufferings and pleadings of those around you. Why, Lavi?"_

He still remembered the dream that Rhode trapped him inside when they were in Edo. As he witnessed many people's deaths, he then realised that from all those years being a Bookman, he could not hide the fear that was forced to be concealed deep behind his heart. The calm that helped him to overcome this fear disappeared completely as realisation hit him. No matter how humans tried to hide, the fear that were hidden in the darkness would be revealed out as they were shaken by their resolves.

At that time, he felt so lost. Seeing many corpses, seeing blood splattered everywhere, and seeing his friends blaming him for not saving them because of being a Bookman, he did not know what to do. When his friends tried to kill him, he did not dodge, nor he attacked them. As physical and mental wounds were inflicted painfully on his fragile body, he finally understood how pain was felt like. It was like a sharp nail that was drilled in his raw flesh, the pain running deeply along his nerves and his whole body. It was as if this was meant to remind him of his true identity and the harsh fact that he shouldn't create emotions for others. He concluded that it was his punishment, and he totally deserved it.

"So, what would you do?" Bookman's question snapped him out of his thoughts as Lavi blinked, staring at the shorter man. It somehow stunned him for a moment before his thoughts started to run once again.

What should he do now?

"Where have you been?"

"Nowhere in particular," Bookman kept his answer short as usual. Lavi doubted it.

"Something regarding to Yuu-chan?"

Bookman chose not to answer. Lavi let out a faint smile as he put his hands on his head, staring at the tiny patterns carved on the wooden door. He straightened himself, knowing what he should do now. He patted himself, before leaving.

"Where are you going, Lavi?"

"To find Yuu-chan, of course!"

"And where would you find him, Lavi?" Lavi stopped, realising what Bookman had said. It was true that Kanda had vanished without a trace, and no one knew where he had gone to.

"Anywhere. As long as Yuu-chan's not dead, I will definitely find him," Lavi replied. He paused for a moment, before he turned around and gave the other a thumbs' up and a wide grin on his face.

"I will not give up!"

Bookman stayed in his position, not saying a word. Slowly, he smiled.

* * *

It had been so long since he last saw him. He wondered how much he had grown since then. Had his facial features changed, or maybe that bad-tempered character of his did not change after all? He could not wait to see him soon. He missed him so much. Without detecting his scent in the air for such a long time, he felt weird, like something had been missing in him. But well, after all the turmoil that he had gone through, he was finally meeting him.

He brushed his long raven fringe aside with his hand, his braided hair fluttered slightly in the stirred breeze before it landed gently onto the side of his slim back. His presence was much hidden by the blackness brought by his uniform, which concealed him very well in dark places. Slowly, he stood up.

"We...finally meet, Yuu."


	7. Memories

**Hey everyone! This is SingingBlues back in action again! I'm really sorry for the late update! Currently, I am thinking of how the characters should progress to make the whole story be more interesting. My mind seems to be rather confused with the scenes that I wanted to put into this story, so pls do bear with me while I get this all sorted out!**

**This is the chapter, where at this stage, Allen was going to recollect his old memories back slowly. Kanda was going to face a greater challenge that he will not expect! Hope this bring up the mood of all readers! See all of you soon!**

**And if you don't understand, pls do clarify with me! I will personally write back to you and explain the parts that you cannot get.**

**For the previous chapters, I don't see much reviews coming in. People are reading my stories, yet no reviews come in ): This is kinda sad...reviews keep me writing, so if you want this story to progress in the future, pls do review!!! If there are still not much responses, I may decide to put it in hiatus, since I am also currently busy with schoolwork, but if there are at least 4 - 5 reviews, I promise all of you that I will finish this story!!! I also want to proceed to my next story which is already plotted out long ago :)**

**See ya!! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Memories**

Who exactly am I? I am Allen Walker...or not one anymore. I have reduced to a human being without a name, without an identity. Allen Walker's memories were not mine. They belong to someone else. He has come back to claim everything that belongs to him, and now, I am left with nothing. There is nothing, no reason for me to stay. I am just someone who looks after one's memories. I am nothing. Nothing.

I have walked through endless roads, make memories with everyone I know, and fill my world with colours and laughter. Sometimes I would wonder whether I am really who I am. I doubted myself, and even think that I'm crazy. But it is Mana's words that stop my hesitation, and move forward. I do not think of anything else, Mana's words pressing me on. No matter how people look at me with weird eyes and mutter words about my weird appearance, they will not break me, because I am already broken beyond repair. I am so used to the feeling of pain, that I do not care anymore. The nerves are already numbed long ago, my heart almost dead. But I still cannot bear with the fact that innocent people died under the evil hands of the Millennium Earl. I promise myself that I will use my cursed hand and arm to exorcise evil and protect vulnerable humans from evil demons. This is the only way to atone my sins and ease my guilt towards Mana.

But, I lost my identity. Allen Walker, the broken boy who had goals in life, had disappeared. What left was the remains of his sorrow and pain. Now, I do not have any reason to move on. I do not know where I should go, and where my real home is, because from what I can remember, my home is already long gone. The person who I want to see is already gone. The house just slowly tore down together with the rage of the burning flames, reduced to ashes. I am just a wanderer, wandering through the darkest depths of my world, searching for a way out.

What am I? What is my purpose in life? Why am I here, when I have lost my identity? My body feels light, memories and emotions gone out of me. It is hollow, empty, filled with endless loneliness through the years. No one is with me. I am alone. I am always alone all the time. It is always the same, and would be the same.

My heart is crying. It aches painfully, screaming desperately through its hard thumpings for anyone to notice this lonesome figure standing in the middle of nowhere. I feel nothing, but somehow, there is slight hint of lost within me. Somehow, I just know that I have to go somewhere which I do not even remember, because it is very important. I just have to go back.

I have to. But the problem is, where?

* * *

_I was at the front of a very tall building. It was rather remote within, giving me a rather creepy feeling down my skin. I went up to my feet, brushing off the dust on my pants and continued down my path. As I walked down the stony path through the trees, I reached a place with large gates that I had never seen before. There was a rather weird face in between the gates, and I wondered whether it was safe here._

_"Erm, is anyone in?" He gulped before he continued. "I am Allen Walker, an Exorcist! I was sent here by my master, General Cross Marian!"_

_There was silence. I stood there, waiting, but I wondered whether they had really heard what I was saying at that time. It was simply awkward standing in the middle of the wilderness, with practically no one around. What if, there is no one living inside? What if that drunkard Cross lied to him instead? He gulped again. Hey, he had reached here. He did not want to turn back and face this strange surrounding again._

_"Allen Walker is it?" Someone replied him, to his relief. He turned back, wondering where the voice came from. "Please stand in front of the Gatekeeper for examination. If you are okay, he would let you in."_

_I blinked, searching for whoever that Gatekeeper was. Seeing that weird face again, I supposed that was him. I took a step closer, staring at it closely._

_"Hello." Moments later, that scary face suddenly stretched itself towards me, making me jump slightly. Sweats appeared on my forehead, and I wondered whether the Black Order was such a scary place. Everything I was experiencing now was so spooky that my heart was always thumping so hard that it was going to explode. What exactly was this place? Was it a place for humans to live in?_

_No, I shouldn't say that. After all, Exorcists aren't humans to begin with._

_"Ah, he has the symbol of an Akuma at his eye! He is the enemy! Enemy!"_

_My heart almost dropped out of my mouth. I just stood there, baffled and speechless. I simply had no idea to what was going on here, but I had a bad feeling that it was surely not a good thing. I was not an Akuma to begin with! The Akuma symbol at my eye was given by Mana when I turned him into one. He cursed me, and gave me this as a reminder to remind me of his curse. I tried to explain to the Gatekeeper, but that one just kept crying nonstop, saying that 'it will be the end of the world' or whatsoever._

_Suddenly, I felt a strong aura coming from above. Looking up, I saw someone standing at the top of the building. His dark raven hair flew strongly through the gust of the wind, as he started unsheathing his sword in a style that looked like a Japanese Samurai. The metal blade glinted under the sunlight, as he raised it up high. I assumed that the sword was his Innocence weapon he carried during missions. I had never seen such long and beautiful hair before, and it stunned me on the spot instantly. The strands of his hair fluttered gracefully, brushing elegantly through his eyes and his lips, and this made my breath hitch slightly._

_Was he...really a male?_

_"How dare you show up here..." I realised that he was ready to attack. I panicked immediately, trying my hardest to shout out my reasons for my coming, but he did not seem to be a person who would calm down and listen. Seconds later, he leaped through the air and swiftly falling towards me, and before I could blink, his sword shone in a bright blue light, so bright that it was as if it wanted to devour me whole. I held my left hand close to my face for protection, and my Innocence arm was activated soon after, responding to my feelings. It was lucky, because without it, my whole body would be sliced into two by his sword within seconds. _

_"That's...!" The both of us stumbled back, surrounded by dust which clouded our eyes. That person stared at my abnormal arm, an astonished look on his face._

_He sounded rather shocked seeing my arm. Hadn't he see a parasitic Innocence weapon before? _

_"What's with that arm?"_

_"It's my Innocence. I'm an Exorcist." I replied. He just stared for a while, before displaying the most murderous glare towards the Gatekeeper, who was frightened to his wits._

_"What is this supposed to mean?" The Gatekeeper just kept wailing that he saw the symbol of the Akuma at my eye, which showed that I am part of the Millennium Earl's army. _

_"Hey, I told you that I'm not one of them!" I wailed, hitting the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper cried even more as it told me to leave him alone. _

_"Never mind. I shall cut your body open with my Mugen, and see whether you are one or not!" That samurai guy started attacking me again, his attacks ten times faster than before. I tried to protest, but I did not have time to worry about this. His sword attacks were good, and within minutes, I was cornered. Seeing the sword coming towards me in fast speed, I spluttered something about my master sending them a letter of recommendation to a person named Komui Lee about him. Immediately, the sword came to a halt, inches away before I was officially killed. I heaved huge sighs of relief instantly, the sweats continuing to stream down my face uncontrollably. _

_He snorted as his dark gaze was onto me, his sword pointing towards me at a dangerous angle. I gulped, my eyes fixed onto the sharp edge of the blade, making sure that it did not cross further towards me. The deep impression over him had long disappeared and I concluded that no matter how beautiful he was, he had a very big attitude problem. And what was with that scowling face? It wasn't my fault that he had made such a huge misunderstanding. Furthermore, was his temper always like that? Well, I just hoped that I would not go missions together with him, as I recalled Cross Marian telling me that Exorcists would go together on missions most of the time._

_"Stop the attack, Kanda!" I almost jumped, staring fearfully at the voice which came out of something flying just beside the raven-haired guy. The guy turned stiffly towards the thing, and demanded rather rudely on what was happening here. I nearly rolled my eyes, but decided not to do so when his fierce glare was back onto me._

_So, his name was Kanda. Frankly speaking, it was a nice name._

_"Can't you understand English?! I told you to stop attacking him, Kanda!" There were noise coming through that black thing beside that man's voice. Moments later, there was another person talking, who was referred to as Komui Lee._

_"Kanda, you heard Reever. Stop the attacks."_

_"What do you mean by that, Komui?" Kanda asked suspiciously._

_"Didn't you see Timcampy flying beside him? Apparently, he is a disciple of General Cross Marian." I swore I saw him making a rather exaggerated flabbergasted face at this comment. Does me becoming that drunkard bastard's disciple that bad? Does he need to show such disgusted look on his face? But well, I could understand all this. I also could not believe that I had turned to someone who was a drunkard, an expert in leaving debts behind and an expert in escaping from dangerous situations. Somehow, I had slight regrets in taking this path to become an Exorcist._

_"Now apologise, Reever-hanchou!" There were grunts heard, before someone scolded Komui for not cleaning up his desk regularly. I assumed that it was Reever-san._

_He grunted, his frown deepened, as Kanda turned sharply towards me, seeing me as a dangerous beast. I raised up my hands higher and showed a frightened face when his sword was a inch nearer to my face. My, how scary he was! He hoped that the people inside was not as fierce as him._

_"Kanda!" There was a hit on that samurai's head, as Kanda turned towards someone with a weird frown. That someone turned out to be a pretty girl with long emerald hair down towards his waist, as she gave a stern look towards them. I just gave a comical look. Everything was sure turning out to be more interesting than I thought to be._

_"Didn't nii-san told you to stop? Now go inside, before the gates close." When the both of us did not respond, she coughed, and pointed inside. We went in, and after Tim entered, the gates slammed shut behind us._

_"Hi, my name is Lenalee Lee, and I am the helper of Komui Lee. Nice to meet you!"_

_She was definitely friendlier than that samurai guy. I smiled, and took her hand._

_"I'm Allen Walker. Just call me Allen." I looked around, and realised that Kanda was returning back to the building without even telling them. Didn't that guy even had the slightest courtesy to say goodbye to them? I was reluctant to introduce myself to him, but taking into accounts that I was a newbie here, I had no choice but to do so. Furthermore, I was rather thick-skinned, so I was sure I could do this._

_"Erm, Kanda?" That samurai stopped in his tracks, and I began to wonder whether my decision was right. He turned, giving the coldest stare to me. I ignored those feelings, and stepped up towards him._

_"I'm Allen Walker. Nice to meet you!" I stretched out my hand. He just stared at it, before he turned away._

_"Do I look like someone who would shake hands with someone cursed?"_

_I took a deep breath, as my whole body was shaking with anger. What was he, talking to me like that?!_

_"I'm sorry. Kanda has just returned from a mission, so he tends to be in a foul mood sometimes." The olive-haired girl named Lenalee apologised._

_Foul mood? From that moment onwards, I started looking at Kanda in a new prospective. As I stared at his back, I just knew that the both of us would definitely meet again._

_

* * *

_

_Kanda, time to wake up._

Kanda woke up with a start, sweat all over his forehead. The raven samurai took several deep breaths down the dry throat, calming himself down. From there, he looked around, and realised that he was back to the house where Nel once lived. General Tiedoll was sitting at the small table, looking closely at the flame of the candle. Kanda groaned softly as he felt his head. What was that familiar voice? When was the last time he was conscious? Had he slept for a long time?

"You are awake, Yuu-kun!" General Tiedoll noticed that Kanda was up. Kanda just grunted under his breath as he turned elsewhere, not used to that old geezer's warmth and smile. He felt the white bandages, and found out that they were changed. He snorted.

"Che. Why am I here? Aren't we supposed to go and find the Innocence?" General Tiedoll just raised his eyebrow interestingly.

"That's because you fainted halfway, so I have to drag you back here again. In order to prevent you from fainting again, we shall stay here till your injuries are better!"

"What?! You got to be kidding, old man! There is no way I can stay here and waste any more time!" Kanda growled angrily as he suddenly stood up, only to hiss in extreme pain as his injured nerves were pulled hardly by the movement of his muscles.

"See? This is what happens when you push yourself too hard, Yuu-kun. We have to stay here and rest for a while." General Tiedoll said. Kanda just che'ed as he sat back down onto the bed, glaring hardly at the troublesome wounds. He did not need all these. What was that stupid lotus flower doing, not healing his wounds? Though he knew that the conditions were starting to deteriorate, but it would not be as serious as not feeling the effects at all. This would only mean that the petals had all fallen, and he would be dead, but that would be impossible, considered himself here.

Or...that he was not a human at all? Kanda stiffened slightly at this thought, but shrugged it off. He was not even one to begin with. He bit his lip in frustration, controlling himself from grabbing Mugen by the table and rushed out of the door. He had been wasting too much time here. That inspector must have been ahead of them already. Secondly, the time to find that moyashi would be lessened as well. He could not afford that type of risk, because he simply had no more time left.

"Yuu-kun, you..." He looked up, and saw that old man's shocked look in his eyes. Frankly speaking, he had never seen General Tiedoll that taken aback before. Kanda blinked as he felt his face where that General was looking, only to be taken aback as well. He had knew that this would happen, but he never expected it to spread so fast. The raven samurai hissed in irritation as he brushed his strands of hair towards that area, stood up and walked across the house.

"Yuu-kun, why...why didn't you tell me?" General Tiedoll asked.

"Because there is no need to, old man," Kanda replied, stopping at a corner.

"But why?! Why must you shoulder all the burden? Let me help you, Yuu-kun!"

Kanda's eyes narrowed with anger. There was no way that anyone would understand what feelings he had now, and there was no way this burden could be shared, because it was only meant for him, to atone for what he had done in the past. He had committed sins, and God had thus punished him. That was all, though he did not believe that Gods existed.

"There is no way you can help me, old man! Stop minding other people's business!"

"You stop pushing people's kindness away, Yuu-kun!" General Tiedoll was at his front, stopping him with his hands. Kanda shoved them away and turned around, only to be stopped again by the General.

"What do you want, old geezer?!" Kanda growled, his eyes flashing with fury. He did not understand. Why must all the people still crowd around him when he had stated his position and chased them away? Why must people have such gentleness in their eyes whenever they were conveying their words to him? Why must they do that when they knew that they would surely die if they stayed at his side?! Why couldn't they understand that he was just a monster to begin with?! He hated alone at first, and just when he had adjusted to the coldness, people started to give their warmth to him, filling up the emptiness in his heart. Why couldn't they simply understand that he was meant to be alone in the first place?

"I want you to start listening to me for once, Yuu-kun! Stop pushing away people's warmth! I know what you are thinking, but the more you reject them, the more they will keep coming, because humans will not give up!"

"They are just a bunch of pathetic beings who do not even know what state they are in. Sooner or later, they will surely die!" Kanda hissed, slamming his hands onto the wooden wall in frustration and anger. He was borne to be a cold and ruthless killer. Even though it was as a form of Exorcist, when it comes to destroying Akumas, there was no difference at all, because Akumas were also borne as humans in the first place.

"No, Yuu-kun, no! You will save them! You will use your powers, and protect them! All their kindness and warmth will be stored inside your heart, increasing your willpower to fight! With you, they will surely not die!"

"You don't know anything! I killed everyone in my clan! Every single human! For one whose sword had contained blood of many innocents and committed so many sins, his feelings are already hardened! There is no turning back anymore! All of you are just too naïve to think that those emotions can be returned." Kanda said as he breathed harder than before, the heavy emotions clouding around his head. He covered his face with his hand for a while, before looking up at General Tiedoll, having a saddened look on his face for the first time.

"No..." General Tiedoll murmured. "No, you are wrong. You are wrong, Yuu-kun. People have the ability to forgive."

Kanda's eyes widened in shock.

"You are responding to the people's gentleness, helping them and protecting them from danger. You start to open up to them instead of chasing them away. Though your arrogant attitude still remains, people are so glad and happy that the ice within you is finally melting. You are already starting to feel everyone's kindness towards you. It is just that you do not realise it." General Tiedoll walked up to the raven teen, and pulled him into a gentle embrace. Kanda just remained silent, the shock within him not leaving.

"And if not for that, why would you still bother finding Allen in the first place?"

Kanda stiffened.

Allen. He remembered. The reason he was in these missions, was to find out where that moyashi had gone to, and bring him back to the Order. The real reason on why he wanted to bring him back, was to protect the people's feelings on that boy. All of them were hurt badly, and he had to prevent those wounds from opening further. One sinner would be enough, and that would be him. Innocent people shouldn't be brought into their sins as well. From that day he killed all the people in his clan, he had promised himself that he would be the one shouldering every sins bore by humans.

One would be enough. But, was that the only reason why he wanted to bring Allen back?

"Yuu-kun?" General Tiedoll asked, seeing Kanda dazed on the spot. Realising that he had been like this for too long, Kanda pushed away the General, rubbing his face roughly with his hand, but there was a slight flush which failed to be unnoticed. General Tiedoll chuckled, deepening the flush on his face. Kanda growled softly as he turned away and walked to a chair, sitting on it.

"Someone is following us."

"Someone?" General Tiedoll asked. Kanda nodded his head, his eyes narrowed. "That coward just probably does not want to show his face to us."

"But who would it be? An enemy?"

"Unlikely. I have trained for years, and can distinguish Akumas and real humans." Kanda said.

"So...you mean that someone human is following us all along?" General Tiedoll asked, astonished by it.

"I cannot cross out that possibility, but no matter what, we have to be more careful in our actions." Kanda said, staring outside the window at the empty street, deep into thoughts.

_**Hello, my dear Yuu. Since I lend you my strength, you will have to pay the price.**_

Kanda's eyes widened as something in his body started to change. The raven samurai yelled in pain as he fell onto the ground, clutching his head which was going to split apart. His whole body seemed to be vibrating like heartbeats, the hollow noise drilling hardly into his eardrums.

"Yuu-kun, what's wrong?! Yuu-kun, can you hear me?"

Kanda continued to scream, as something seemed to be pulled out of his head forcefully. It lasted for only a few seconds, as that immerse pain disappeared so fast like it had never happened before. The raven samurai coughed hardly before he struggled up, with the help of that old...old...wait, who was that?

"Yuu-kun, are you alright?" Kanda's vision started to clear up, as he saw a rather aged man standing in front of him. Seeing a stranger tensed him up immediately, as he slapped that pair of hands away from him and growled in anger, glaring at the one who even dared to touch him with his filthy hands. Meanwhile, General Tiedoll had no absolute idea on what was happening here.

"Yuu-kun, what exactly happened?"

"Who are you?" Kanda hissed, his cold, murderous gaze never left the General. General Tiedoll's eyes widened in shock.

"W-What? My name is Froi! Froi Tiedoll! Can't you remember me? You always address me as 'old geezer'!"

Kanda's eyes widened, before he screamed out in pain again. That raven samurai gritted his teeth hardly as he clutched his long hair with his hands, moving around the place in an unstable way. When it finally stopped, Kanda started to calm down, as he looked up and stared at General Tiedoll once more.

"Old geezer?" Kanda finally spoke up. General Tiedoll heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Kanda was back, but that dark, golden glint which lived inside that pair of sapphire eyes worried him. He frowned.

Kanda was about to change.

* * *

_With Lenalee as my new friend here, she took me around the Order, showing me the different places I could go. I looked around with curiosity burning inside me, so excited on wanting to discover all the places in the Black Order. This place was just simply huge. _

_"This is your room, Allen. I have to go. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me through Timcampy." Lenalee said as she smiled. I blinked, a little not used to her warm gestures. Since Mana died, no one had ever treated me this nicely before._

_"Thank you for showing me around!" I bowed as I thanked her. She shook her head, saying that this was her job. As she left, I opened the door and entered my room._

_It was not said to be bigger than any rooms found in an ordinary inn, but it was more than enough. I looked around the spacious place, feeling the things available in here. When I reached the bed, I felt the smooth material of the bed sheets, before sitting down beside it, staring at the big portrait of Mana in front of me. As I stared, I smiled._

_"Welcome home, Mana."_

* * *

"You shouldn't be here."

"What?"

"You shouldn't be here, Rhode. He will find out, for sure."

"Who will find out?"

"_Him._"

* * *

"This is what I have found from the laboratory about the forbidden experiment the Order had carried out years ago, Komui," Reever said as he handed Komui a stack of files. The Chinese man nodded his head as he flipped open one of the files and started browsing the documents.

"Thank you, Reever hanchou." Reever just observed Komui from a distance as Komui took his cup of coffee and gulped the liquid down quickly, before putting it back to its previous position and continued reading the files.

"Ne, isn't this already over? The Vatican has prohibited these experiments right? So why are you interested in them suddenly, Komui?"

Komui did not reply as he was deep into his reading, sometimes glancing up at his cup before looking down at the documents again, reading. He flipped through them quickly, making sure that he did not miss any details described inside before he went to the next file.

"Komui, I never see you that frustrated before. What exactly has happened?" Reever asked, noticing his expressions. Komui stopped as he slowly looked up at the other.

"Reever, have you heard of a forbidden technique that can seal powers inside a person?" Komui asked. Reever just blinked before he scratched his chin slightly, wondering.

"Hmm, I don't think so...wait..." Reever trailed off, shocked. "Don't tell me...it's about..." Komui slowly nodded his head.

"It's about the seal on Kanda-kun's. I cannot find him in any of these file documents." Reever's eyes widened at what he had said, walking to the front of his desk as he stared at the files that he had brought here.

"Wait, Komui! What do you mean by that? Why is Kanda's curse seal related to the past experiments conducted in the past?" Reever asked, baffled at the sudden news. Komui just showed him the book on the table which was flipped open to that page. As he read, his eyes widened with shock and horror.

"What...what the hell is that?" He asked, pointing to the picture of the lotus curse seal on the book page. Komui just sighed as he felt his throbbing head, wondering what he should do next. He just wished that this was just a coincidence, but apparently, it was not the case. Now he could not help but raised suspicions on what the Order had been doing for the past few decades. He had been appointed as the Science Department Supervisor for not very long ago, so he would not be able to know what had happened before he came here. But why would the Order want to...do such a thing?

_"The Millennium Earl chose not to attack the Organisation even though we are vulnerable at this stage. There has to be a reason to this. It must be not just a coincidence."_

_"Maybe...the Order has some use to the Earl."_

"Komui? Komui?" Komui blinked, realising that Reever was shaking him. Komui adjusted his spectacles and stared blankly at the large crest on the poster which represented the symbol of this Organisation just at the wall. He did not even want to think further about it. Just by figuring out on what would happen if this was true sent several shivers down his spine. If this was out, it would surely cause a tremendous panic among everyone. Komui's violet eyes narrowed. He had to check through this thoroughly.

"Has Bookman come back yet?"

"I haven't heard from him since he left, so, no." Reever answered. Komui nodded his head as he leaned his head onto the couch, pondering. This had to be kept secret, so the lesser people knew, the better. But the problem was, when such problems arise, who would he turn to? There was so few that he could trust. Firstly, Kanda was already out on mission. He was the most efficient Exorcist around. Allen had joined the Noah Family. He did not have the courage to say this to his sister, Lenalee. He could guess how she would have reacted when she got heard of it, but he had no choice. He turned to Reever.

"When Bookman comes back, call in Krory, Miranda, Lenalee and Lavi to my office. Gather men whom you trust and come along as well."

"Komui, what is going to happen?" Reever asked worriedly. Komui just put his warm hands gently onto his shoulders.

"Everything depends on you now, Reever-hanchou. Please." Reever's eyes widened slightly at Komui's face expression, before he nodded his head and headed out of the room. As the doors closed in, Komui closed his tired eyes, thinking of that silver-haired boy who was currently missing.

_Where in the world are you, Allen-kun?_

* * *

"What's wrong?" General Tiedoll asked, seeing Kanda getting tense as the raven was watching the surrounding around him cautiously.

"No, nothing. I thought I heard somebody's voice," He replied, kicking away the rock that was in front of his foot. The boots brushed against the small dusts and dirts on the rough road as he let out a deep sigh. Kanda felt better, and insisted on continuing to find the Innocence, so the two of them continued on their way. They had been walking for about one hour, and yet they could not sense an Innocence nearby. The enemies did not seem to come back again after they retreated. Kanda stopped and bent down, listening to the echoing sounds travelling beneath the road.

"There is no one passing by here. I could hardly hear any footsteps or shuffles." General Tiedoll nodded his head as he peered inside his pockets, where he kept the Innocence. None of them glowed, meaning that the Innocence that they were finding was not near, or that there was no Innocence here at all. The Exorcists decided to check on further, as they continued to walk down the path that seemed endless.

"Have you sent the information that we have gotten from the enemies to Komui?" Kanda asked.

"Ah yes, I have. Komui should receive it in a couple of days. For now, we should be cautious on them. They are not normal akumas that we experienced before in the past. They should be of higher level."

They crossed by a row of green bushes as those tiny leaves swayed in the wind, brushing against each other. As General Tiedoll wandered somewhere, Kanda stopped, and stared at the flowers which had bloomed. Some had bloomed successfully, while others did not have the chance of showing its beautiful self, basking in the sun. But, the bloomed ones were not pretty too. The petals were too dry as the ends of it curled up slightly, and the colours were not radiant but dull and ugly. Not to mention that they were very fragile. One flick on the flower and it would detached immediately.

Kanda peered at those flowers before his hand gently touched the fragile one. He flinched slightly in surprise as a petal detached itself away from the flower with just a very slightest pull between his fingers. The raven just stared at the petal in his palm, as the wind blew by and took it away. Even then, he did not chase after it, just continuing to watch as it floated further away from him.

It let him remember what had happened at that night. At that fraction of moment, he also did the same thing. He chose the same decision, and let him go. He did not stop him as he watched his shadow slowly vanishing away in his eyes. That pain...stung him greatly.

He then realised. Allen was weak. He was fragile, and he was already broken when he found him.

"Yuu-kun?" Kanda was jolted out of his thoughts as he turned to the general who had called him. He did not say a word and hurried after him.

He blamed himself. His thoughts were messed up again.

* * *

Behind the city lay the waterfall, as the strong currents of water splashed hardly on the hard rocks before they descended down and landed into a small lake with a roar. Small trees and plants could be seen surrounding the waterfall, showing a spectacular view.

"Wow, what a nice view!" General Tiedoll exclaimed, looking around with enthusiasm. Kanda was not sure how he should react. The general put his belongings onto the ground as he went up to the rocks and sat down. Kanda scouted around for clues to find the Innocence.

"Kanda..."

He stopped and raised an eyebrow. He grunted in reply and continued his scouting.

"Kanda..." He rubbed his ears, thinking that a particular fly or pest had entered his ears and caused this commotion.

"Kanda..."

"Who's there?!?" He finally shouted. The birds seemed to be frightened of his booming voice as flaps of wings filled the silent forest. Kanda looked around, very sure that someone was calling him just now.

And that voice was so utterly familiar. So familiar, that he chose not to seek out for that answer himself. Even if the answer was displayed in front of him, he chose to ignore it. Kanda decided to go back to where the general was, leaving the search for later as night was closing in. As the leaves on the trees rustled softly, Kanda peered at what was in front of him, and stopped.

Now, he chose to believe what he had seen. That shadow appeared out of nowhere, as the scent of his presence was gradually returning to him.

Kanda could not believe his eyes. It was him. It was _him_.

* * *

"Yuu-kun! Yuu-kun!" General Tiedoll shook the raven who did not respond. The empty body slowly collapsed onto the ground with a thud, motionless. His eyes were empty, showing no signs of life from him. No matter how he shook him, he did not reply. The general then noticed that he was clutching onto something within his hand.

The flower petal stayed silently in his palm, protected by him. Not even the wind could come and take it away. Not anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

Finally updated? Pls review!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Through the reflected mirror of the Innocence**

He just could not believe his eyes. Was he dreaming?

"Kanda..." That soothing voice was getting closer as he slowly approached him in small footsteps, his eyes locked into his. Kanda's heart thumped hardly, and his thoughts started to run wild again. What in the world...was this? What was going on here? Why was he...here?

The raven just peered at him. What should he say to him for their first meeting? Say that ever since he had joined the enemy suddenly, he got flustered and annoyed for nothing, and that his mind was filled with images of him every now and then? Or should he beat the hell out of him for doing this to Lavi and Lenalee, and dragged him back to the Order to atone for his stupidest mistake made in his whole life, making them so miserable and acting like pathetic idiots pining for his presence?

"Why are you here?" In the end, what came out of his mouth was a question. Nothing more.

"To see you, of course," He replied softly, his shadow getting nearer to him. Kanda did not move from his position. He wondered on how he should reply to that answer. That sweet and gentle voice wavered him for a slight second. He did not know what to do.

He reached him. Wrapping his arms around his back, he snuck into his body and stole the warmth away from him, breathing deeply into his lotus fragrance which would always be his.

From above, he could smell the lovely fragrance of light jasmine from his hair, which was tickling the tip of his chin. Kanda stiffened immediately at this. At that split instant, he thought that his breath was taken away.

What...was this?

"Kanda," He looked up at him, that light grey orbs twinkling in the faint sunlight that shone through the thick canopy. The wind brushed by as the strands of their hair were entangled to each other. Both of them stared at one another for a slight moment that seemed to be like eternity. Slowly, his hand went to his face and cupped it gently, looking at him affectionally.

"Kanda, I love you." He murmured, leaning closer to him. Their faces were only a few centimetres away from each other, as they could smell each other's faint breaths.

His eyes gradually softened, as his heart started to pain in a way that he had not experienced before. He did not expect him to confess to him openly, and affectionally, and he really could not come out with an answer for this, because he himself did not know what love was. He only knew that what came out of love itself was the pain that produced it as a result. Without pain, there would be no love. Without love, there would not be any pain.

He could not take himself away from that alluring eyes of his. The both of them closed in together, as their lips slowly met. It was just a mere gentle touch, but Kanda could feel his heart wrenching greater than before. It was excruciating.

This was love?

He realised as he pulled away from him immediately. This was not love at all. It was nothing but a piece of painful and unrealistic dream that would not happen.

"It is a dream."

"Why should this be a dream? I'm here. I'm real."

"No, it's a dream, and it should end right now." Something invaded his inner self and he had to avoid it. That foreign emotion...should not exist.

"Kanda, I really love you. I really do."

Stop. Stop all these pleadings.

"I..." He was lost for words. He could not believe that he was so confused. What was preventing him from thinking rationally?

Suddenly, he felt his head being pushed gently as both of their lips were connected again. The kiss was longer and deeper as their tongues slithered in and out of their mouths in a rhythmic motion. Before long, Kanda started to respond to the kiss, as his hands wrapped around his small waist, pulling his body closer to him, yearning for more of his warmth and his touch. Minutes after, their lips parted, the both of them gasping for breath.

Kanda's eyes widened in horror at what absurdity he had done. What was he doing? Was he actually craving for that sweet, warm breath that eluded him till he could not think properly just now? Did he really want his touch _that _much? And most importantly, what were that feeling that acted like an invisible string, connecting his shadow to his?

He felt the touch of his hands. They were smooth, with no roughness, like the surface of the smooth glass. Kanda felt them again and again. They felt real. They really felt real.

"Return to the Order with me, Allen." Kanda did not know why he did not address him as his usual nickname. His hands held those hands firmly but gently, not wanting them to disappear.

"No, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because...I do not have a reason to come back. It has already ended."

Ended?

Dry leaves slowly fell down, as time passed by for a few seconds which seemed to be like an eternity. The breeze wheezed through their presences, their hair fluttering beautifully in the air.

He just stared at him for a moment, before his eyes softened and smiled.

"From that moment onwards, every bonds connecting to all of you have been cut. All of you, and me, now live in different worlds. We have no connections, nor ties, among one another. I am just a mere stranger, passing by the path that you take. Nothing more."

Kanda's eyes widened, before the grip on his hands slowly loosened. That pair of hands fell down to the sides of his body, motionless.

"Why?" His voice was soft that sounded like pathetic pleads.

He did not answer. That smile just explained everything. Kanda felt anger rising up his head. He had never felt that humiliated before. When he had said those words, his whole pride was totally crushed hardly, leaving no traces behind. Never once did he felt that embarrassed before. Never.

"What...what are you saying?!? Goddamn it, what in the fucking world did you say just now?!?" Kanda roared, slamming him to a nearby tree. The tree shook greatly, as leaves fell down onto the ground. He breathed heavily, his blood-shot eyes glaring at the innocent grey ones staring back at him. How...how dared he throw those fucking affection words straight at his face when his heart was already not there in the first place?! He hated those eyes, those fucking innocent eyes, and that stupid plastered smile drawn on his face! He loathed them all. All.

Was he treating him like an idiotic fool? How could he ever accept this when...when he had the audicity to do that to him?!? Was his feelings just a mere toy, something that could be played and thrown away easily?

"Explain yourself. Now, before I tear you apart," He hissed lowly.

His head was downcast. He still did not say anything. Kanda hurled his fist forward, towards that beautiful and flawless face. He would not miss, but he stopped halfway, that clenched fist one centimetre away. The sharp nails dug deep into his skin, as blood slowly dripping down onto the ground, staining the leaves with its dark crimson colour. That clenched hand was shaking slightly. His nerves were bursting with energy, as his brain was screaming loudly in his head, ordering him to release the attack, once and for all. He would beat him, and it would be over. He, and he, were just merely strangers; strangers who crossed paths, and nothing more.

In the end, he did not do that.

In the end, his heart softened.

He finally lifted up his head and faced him. Suddenly a bright white light enveloped them as Kanda shaded his eyes, trying to see clearly. Everything around them started to vanish, as the tree supporting his body vanished too.

"Moyashi! Moyashi!" He shouted, catching his hand, but his blood-stained hand slipped as the two of them fell in opposite directions. His voice could not be heard, though he knew himself very well that he yelled as hard as he could till his throat was sore. The light was brightening as his shadow could hardly be visible in his eyes.

At the last moment, Kanda's eyes widened as his lips moved silently in the white space. Then, mercilessly, it blackened.

_For you, a thousand times over._

* * *

Hmm. I don't know what to say...I will update this story slower than I thought, but no worries, I will definitely finish it, so please bear with me :)

Pls review!

-SingingBlues


	9. The Leftover Anguish

**PLS REVIEW! THANKS! **

* * *

**Chapter9: The Leftover Anguish**

He smiled.

At that disappearing moment, he smiled, more radiant than before.

And he had a feeling that this would be the last time.

He groaned, feeling thousands and millions of needles jabbing into his body. It hurt. It really hurt.

Why...did it hurt that much? Why?

* * *

"Kanda, wake up! Kanda!"

Kanda's eyes snapped open immediately, finding himself lying on the ground. He then peered at the one calling him, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

"Kanda, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"Kanda-kun, I have temporarily stopped the time flow of the Innocence with my activated one!"

General Tiedoll was standing there, looking at him with worry. He then turned his gaze to the two of them in front of him, stunned.

"Marie? Miranda? Why are the two of you here?" The two of them blinked as they exchanged glances to each other, before heaving a sigh of relief.

"You have been unconscious here for the three whole days. Luckily we reached here on time, or else it would be too late." Marie said.

"Your consciousness had been taken away by the powers of the Innocence that you are looking for. Look at what you are holding in your hand." Kanda looked at his hand and slowly opened it.

The flower petal was there. Kanda's eyes went wide as it slowly engulfed into green flames, reducing into ashes. Something bright was glowing at the corner of his eyes as he turned, seeing the same flower bush that he had crossed by just now. The flowers glowed green as its petals slowly turned into green sparkling glitters, floating up into the seamless sky. The leaves of the flower bush then glowed green too, as the whole thing dissipated into the air, mixed together with the clouds and the light-blue sky. Breaths of the wind joined the scene as it stirred the silent air, swirling around the green glitters.

"Beautiful," Miranda murmured. Marie nodded his head in agreement.

Together, the wind and the green sparkles reacted to each other's movements, dancing gracefully. They gradually vanished, and as the last one disappeared, the wind slowly died down and all was calm once again.

They silently watched. Kanda's hand was still opened at his current position. He looked at the middle of the palm, before he slowly stood up to his feet and turned to the direction, where he met him. His heart hardened.

In reality, he was not there. So, everything that he had experienced was nothing but a dream. A dream.

If all of this were a lie, then why wasn't those images erased from his mind? Why could he still remember every bit and pieces of them, vividly in his head?

He slowly touched his lips. His light touch was still there. He could feel it. Kanda slowly walked towards the Innocence on the ground, picking it up. He stared at the shimmering crystal for a moment, his hand shaking violently as he was trying to control himself from crushing it with his own bare hand.

Such a small matter, yet it wavered him so much that he was shaken by it.

He blamed it silently for this outcome. He rather destroyed it instantly, before he let himself be trapped in that illusion. Because of it, his emotions were wavering strongly. So strongly, that he found himself hard to breathe.

"I was really taken aback by this. I did not even realise that the Innocence was just right in front of my eyes!" General Tiedoll blamed himself and knocked his head lightly for his blunder.

"It's not your fault, general. Kanda did not notice it too." Kanda shot a glare to his comrade for that particular statement. Miranda just laughed softly at his reaction.

"When did you arrive here, Marie?" Kanda asked.

"Hmm, just a few minutes ago. Me and Miranda rushed here immediately after receiving an emergency call from General Tiedoll that you were in danger," Marie explained, blinking his small eyes that was hardly visible. Kanda just raised his eyebrow and turned away with a snort.

"Che," Was all he said, but he was glad inside that they came on time.

"So, what did you see in the illusion that the Innocence had shown you?" General Tiedoll asked, his curious eyes twinkling lightly in the faint sun. Kanda flinched immediately at the sudden question, hesitating on whether he should answer to this. The two other Exorcists just looked at him closely, wanting to know.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Really?" The old general sneered in an amusing voice. Kanda grunted in annoyance.

"Yes, nothing!" He snapped huffly. He felt his face, and found that it was heating up slightly.

_"Kanda..."_

Kanda groaned, trying to shut off that alluring voice that was constantly calling for him. He ruffled his hair in frustration. He wanted to forget! Forget what had happened just now, forget his touch, forget his soft gesturing towards his lips, forget those gentle pair of grey eyes that shimmered so brightly, forget what he had done to his lips...

Kanda stiffened.

_"Kanda, I love you."_

His hands started to tremble slowly, before it shook greatly.

_For you, a thousand times over._

He always hated him. Now, he detested him more than ever.

It had always been like that. Ever since they met, he knew that something was going to change. Something about Allen, and something about him. Something that was dormant for a long time had started to stir within him, bringing him closer and closer to him. As time passed by, he then realised that he was bound onto him, unconsciously. With him beside him, he felt ease. Without him around, he felt rather uneasy.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Kanda?" Marie called him from afar, but he did not answer. Kanda sighed, before he lifted up his head and stared at the endless sky. It seemed so near to him, and yet, it was out of reach. This reminded him of his encounter with that Moyashi at that night. The moonlight was exceptionally bright, shining behind his silvery back. It was at that time, that he realised that Allen was like the white sky. Everything in him was white, and he could not reach to him, even though he was just right in front of him. No matter how he wanted to deny and bring excuses to himself, it was a fact that he could not do anything to stop Allen from leaving. He could not stop his friends from getting hurt, from tearing. He was just standing there, powerless and helpless.

He stared at his pair of hands. They were stained and dirtied with blood of many people who had fallen. They were deceived by the Millennium Earl, and they had to pay the price for their greed. This pair of hands was supposed to be used to save as many people as he could, so that there would be no more similar tragedies that would befall on vulnerable humans. There would be one who would pay for the sins, and that would be him. One was already enough.

"Kanda-kun, let me heal your injuries for the time being," Miranda said as she put her hands near his wounds and started to heal him. As Kanda stared at those little green particles fixing his wounds, he wondered whether inner wounds could also be healed by the mere power of her Innocence. How much has that Moyashi beared with his inner wounds all this while? That boy was a devoted person, willing to challenge Fate with his own power. He felt pain when people were hurt. He cried when people died. And yet, that heavy burden was always able to go unnoticed by his warm smile. Kanda hissed angrily to himself as he clenched his hands hardly.

Why was he chasing after Allen? He had been pondering about this for a long time since he started on his missions. Kanda counted his fingers, and realised that there were about two weeks more to the end of the month. After that, he could do whatever he wanted.

Miranda had healed his wounds. She peered at him for a while, looking a little hesitant. Marie called her, and she dismissed herself quietly, joining Marie and General Tiedoll to help the villagers. Kanda picked up his sword, which was lying on the ground, and sheathed it back. He sighed, gazing at the red horizon in front of his eyes. He hadn't noticed the time that passed by so quickly. How long had he been stuck inside the virtual world of the Innocence? The raven-haired teen grunted, not wanting to remember any single thing about that, especially the presence of Allen.

He proceeded to help the villagers who had no idea what happened for the past few hours when they were in a sub-conscious state. An old lady smiled towards him as he helped him up. Kanda's eyes widened slightly, stunned by her behaviour. Most people, even those who knew him, would be wary against him by his stoic expression, but yet she just smiled so naturally, her gratefulness expressed straight from the bottom of her heart. It was a real smile, and Kanda could feel its warmth reached out to him. He led her to a wooden bench nearby, not saying anything.

After clearing up here and there, night had arrived. The villagers insisted on inviting them to stay for a night as thanks for helping the whole village. As they were chatting around tables, eating the food that they had cooked for the night, Kanda was at the water fountain, gazing at the white moon in the sky.

"Having your thoughts?" He turned around to see Marie joining him. General Tiedoll seemed to be slightly drunk from drinking too much liquor from the villagers. Miranda were talking to the housewives rather naturally and calmly. Kanda just grunted, closing his eyes. Marie settled down beside him, handling him a plate of soba.

"Specially prepared for you. You better eat it." Kanda stared at the cold plate, before he took it and ate it slowly. It tasted rather blend, totally not the same as he had tasted in the Black Order, but Kanda did not say anything. Ever since he woke up from that dream, he realised that he had no mood to say anything. The raven-haired teen just glanced at the shimmering surfaces of the moving water silently. Then, his hands slowly clenched tightly.

Now as he realised, they were taking too much time finding the remaining Innocence. Yet, he could not abandon his job as an Exorcist and search for Allen. There might be a possibility that Allen might be participating in this search of Innocence as well, since he was a Noah.

Allen.

Thinking of him made his heart pained....a little. Kanda tried to erase that hurtful feeling, thinking constantly of the plate of his favourite soba.

"I heard from Master that you are going to find Allen after searching for the remaining Innocence," Marie brought out a random topic, but was it too coincident? Kanda peered at the plate of soba. There were fewer green noodles left.

"I wasn't really close to Allen, but I heard from others that he was a kind and helpful boy. He helps everyone, and cherishes his home and his friends more than himself." Marie paused for a while, looking downwards, before peering longingly at the night sky.

"Somehow, it sounds sad, much to the point that he has a tragic past as a child. That's what I heard from Master."

Kanda chewed the noodles in his mouth for a few minutes. The chopsticks stayed inside his mouth, as he could taste the dry wood from his tongue. He continued chewing, before he swallowed down his throat rather slowly. It tasted a little bitter from the last bite. His heart thumped in an irregular rhythm, disturbing by his fluctuating emotions.

Marie turned to face him. His eyes were very small, yet tonight, it was glowing rather brightly towards him. Kanda stared straight into his eyes, reading his thoughts silently. His right hand clenched too hardly, snapping the chopsticks into two.

"I have the feeling that Allen has not changed yet. Please reach to him, Kanda. Only you can do it."

Kanda remained silent, his dead eyes staring in the looming darkness. Grey clouds travelled across the night sky and slowly covered the white moon from view. He could hardly see his hands, hidden so well behind this darkness. The feeling felt rather eerie and frightening, and he touched his arms, wishing that it would pass by quickly. The waiting was painfully long, many thoughts came to his mind as he imagined what would happen during the slow process.

After a few minutes, the sky slowly brightened, the grey clouds sailing past swiftly as the white moon appeared in front of them once again. Soft night breeze wheezed past the sides of his maroon Exorcist uniform, his legs feeling the light touch of its fingers. Kanda slowly released the tight grip of his hand, the broken chopsticks falling onto the ground. His hair strands brushed across the side of his cheeks gently, moving like the choppy waves of the sea. His eyes slowly widened at the sudden thought that crashed into his head.

"Ma-kun! Yuu-kun! Come and join us!" General Tiedoll shouted from the distance, his words rather sloppy from his drunken stupor. Kanda just glared at that General's idiotic behaviour, while Marie just laughed as he went to join them. Before joining them, Kanda turned and stared at the bright and clear moon in the sky. Slowly, that dark blue sapphire eyes narrowed.

He did not want to be reminded of that incident. He blamed it all on the appearance of the white moon.

* * *

Allen stared at the night sky from the white windows in his room. The silver strands just sailed freely towards the opening, always towards the same direction, as if it wanted him to look that way. His room was rather high up, as he was able to see the night and the stars clearly. His black index finger tapped against the rails, making a slow but rhythmic sound. The pair of golden eyes scanned through the whole quiet surrounding with alertness, like he was expecting something to pop out of the blue.

His left eye twitched momentarily, to his irritation. His heart was thumping hardly on his chest, preventing him to go to sleep. The small, silver crosses on his forehead gleamed brightly under the faint moonlight. His eyes turned towards the moon, a strange but unwelcoming feeling brought up to him.

The clock in the room ticked rather noisily despite its soft clicking sounds. At night, it was frighteningly silent. One would never know what might be happening behind the curtains of darkness. It was a moment when people did not wish to dwell too long in it. Allen stared at the dark walls, seeing black shadows dancing eerily across them. His light nightwear brushed lightly against his shoulders as he gradually closed his eyes, enjoying the night breeze.

He was not scared of darkness. He did not fear the eerie silence around him. Allen slowly lied down, his head touching the soft material of the white pillow gently. His eyes were still closed, showing a calm and expressionless face as thoughts slowly played in his head. His lips slowly parted, breathing in a fresh amount of air. The pale shades of grey slowly seeped out of his face and his body, the crosses vanished as well. Allen slowly opened his eyes that turned silver once again, as he stared longingly at the silent ceiling above him.

Something was stirring within him, wanting to tell him something. Even if he had become a full-fledged Noah, that disturbing feeling did not disappear. Blurry memories still remained, unclear and fizzy. He could only see broken pictures of his memories, all painful and sad. No matter how he wanted to erase them, he could not seem to bring himself to cancel them away. It was as if he was erasing part of his existence away. A pang of fear hit him as he thought of it, as Allen clutched onto the bed covers tightly to chase away this frightening feeling.

Slowly, he stood up, his feet touching lightly on the icy floor. He slowly paced his way to the windows, wanting to have a clearer view of the night sky. Glancing outside, dry leaves fluttered across the moon casted beautifully in front of him. A smile slowly appeared on his face, before it stopped suddenly.

_Who are you?_

That smile faltered instantly, his eyes widened in horror at that voice. His eyes narrowed as he hissed at the throbbing pain hammering hardly on his skull.

_Can't you remember us anymore?_

Allen screamed for a moment, his tearing voice piercing sharply through the whole vicinity. He blinked, feeling wetness on his cheeks and dripping down on his night shirt. His face cringed with pain and sadness, his fingers touching the tears which were streaming down uncontrollably without his command. The heart which was once dead began to thump with more force, alive once again.

Allen stared at his hands with tear droplets stained on them, his mind in a fluster. The calm mood that he had created in his inner mind was crushed in an instant, his inner world turning into a rampage. He gritted his teeth and groaned, staggering and stumbling sideways as he swung and pushed the objects around him onto the floor. The overflowing memories did not cease, the images and the emotions played in it entered him painfully.

_Hi, my name is Allen Walker...._

"Stop! That is not my name!" Allen yelled, clutching his head hardly. He was certain that he had cancelled that name away for so many times, yet why did it still appear in his head again? It took him so many days for him to settle down on his new identity, but why did it come and disrupt everything that he had done? Why did it come back to him when he had abandoned it years ago? Allen slammed his fist on the floor, feeling the pain burning hotly against his fingers.

The white moon stayed silently in the sky, lurking behind the floating clouds. Golden eyes returned back to him, flaring fiercely than before. This time, he was going to make sure that he erased that disgusting past completely: the Black Order's Headquarters, the black-coloured uniform, the revolting laughter of those lowly humans and those hurt-looking faces that he saw through his memories. At that resolve, his heart unexpectedly started to calm down, the emotions in his eyes slowly fading away.

* * *

Kanda slowly opened his eyes, seeing the bright orange horizon displaying in front of his eyes. He groaned silently as he slowly sat up, feeling very groggy and extremely exhausted. Although he made it a point to sleep in early, but it seemed to make him worse. He got out of his sleeping bag, walking towards the washroom to wash his sleepy face. General Tiedoll and Marie were still sleeping rather soundly. The raven-haired teen stepped into the small-sized washroom and peered at his frail face in the mirror.

As he thought, he was too distracted by the images that he saw in the Innocence that he couldn't rest well. He couldn't believe that he was so affected in such nonsense which wasn't real, yet he couldn't bring himself to admit how shaken he was at that time when he was facing Allen. Kanda collected clear water at his hands and splashed the cooling liquid onto his face. He then grabbed a clean towel and wiped his face clean, stepping out of the washroom.

When he saw Allen, his heart thumped so fast that he couldn't catch up, and his breathing rough and heavy. These overflowing emotions had come to him more than once, and at that time, he also wanted to test himself once more, on how he felt towards that silver-haired teen. And when he realised it himself, he just couldn't accept the fact that his views on that stupid idiot had changed over the years. He thought he could step to the front and scold heartless words to him without affecting his calm emotions. He thought he could laugh and made a mockery at his cowardness and humiliated him to his pleasure, yet when he brought that mouthful of words up his throat, they just stuck there, unable to come out. And it was at that time, when he realised that he did really care for the silver-haired teen.

Kanda leaned against the door, looking at the clear morning view. Everyone seemed to be awake from their slumber, getting ready to start their day. They greeted one another with happy faces and smiles as they crosses paths. Shrieks of children laughter echoed through the surrounding. Everyone's mood seemed to liften up, as they decided to move on in life. He just stared at them silently. Could he do it as well?

"You are awake, Yuu-kun!" Kanda's vein snapped as he turned around to see the general standing up, stretching his stiff body to make it more flexible.

"Stop calling me that."

"But your name is Yuu! Why can't I call you that?" General Tiedoll whined like a spoilt child, which made Kanda madder. Marie came in and stopped him before the pissed-off swordsman pounced onto the old man with Mugen in his hand.

"Kanda, you know Master doesn't mean that."

"Yeah, he _doesn't_ know when it's time to _stop_," Kanda hissed back. Marie just smiled grimly, hoping that he could stop. General Tiedoll just turned and peered at them with an innocent face, wondering what was going on here. Kanda just glared hardly at the other, before he snorted and sheathed back his sword. At this time, Miranda walked out of the washroom, finished with her bath.

"What should we do now?" She asked. This caught Kanda's attention, as he turned to face everyone. General Tiedoll tapped his chin as he pondered for a while.

"Find the other Innocence?" Marie nodded his head in agreement.

"But you need to return to Headquarters to hand up the report about the encounter of the Akuma and the Innocence that we have collected a few days ago." Miranda gasped, her face turning pale white as she finally remembered her role as an Exorcist. She got worked up too much that she almost fainted, as General Tiedoll and Marie went to calm her down.

Kanda did not care less. He just wanted all of these to end quickly, so that he could go and find Allen. The sooner they finished, the better. And when that time comes, all his questions would be answered...probably. He peered down, towards the white bracelet fixed on his wrist that could never be taken off. He stepped out of the house and into the open, the sapphire eyes shimmering brightly.

"Allen..."

* * *

Allen jerked from his position, wondering what he had heard. He shuffled uncomfortably from his seat in a room of an inn, his golden eyes settled onto a couple that walked by outside. The man was smiling happily, eagerly chatting with the woman who looked rather familiar. Her green hair was tied to a long ponytail which flew in the air by the wind. He could still hear the irritating laughter even when they were further away from him. He snorted.

"Allen?"

He turned to find Rhode standing behind him. He wondered when Rhode had stepped into this room without even producing a single sound. The silver-haired Noah ruffled his long silvery fringe from the side, sighing under his lips silently. The other just grinned.

"Why are you sighing?"

Allen frowned at her question. Though she was much younger than him and the rest of the Noah, she was witty and sly, always having sadistic thoughts playing constantly in her head to entertain her. She had a childish look on her face, and played like a spoilt child, but no one knew what she was really thinking about.

"Nothing." That cheeky girl grinned again, her smile wider than the first one. Allen turned to the windows, not wanting his thoughts to run wild and forced himself to face the front and just pretended that nothing had happened. Rhode sank onto an old sofa, jumping onto the soft material which was going to give way soon as she started giggling to herself crazily. After a few minutes, the wooden door was slammed open, a black figure slowly walking in. Rhode stopped, gazing interestingly at the one coming in. It walked towards the chair where Allen was sitting, before it stopped.

"What are you doing? You are going to destroy the door if you come in so roughly. Make sure that you come in - " There was a loud crack, before the broken door crashed loudly onto the ground.

"Wow. You did it." Rhode commented, whistling a tune.

"Who cares about the door?" Allen glanced at the dark one standing behind, his golden eyes staring hardly at him. The orange-haired Akuma did not budge at all, his red eyes opened as a dark, murderous intent shot right at his face and filled the whole room. He appeared into view, a wide devilish smile spread eerily across his face.

"As long as I take the Innocence back, it would be okay right?"

Allen did not respond, his eyes back to the view outside the window. After a few minutes, his head turned to the left slightly, his eye shooting him a deadly glare which warned the lowly one on who the boss was right now. He then looked downwards, at the photo of a raven-haired guy that was handed to him by the Millennium Earl.

"And capture this guy. The Millennium Earl wants him for some business." The red eyes burnt with excitement as he grabbed the photo by his crooked, black-stained fingers, walking towards the exit. There was another crushing sound, before the Akuma disappeared. Rhode peered at the large footprint at the middle of the broken door on the ground.

"Heard that that raven-haired guy is one of the strongest Exorcists, and you just send one puny Akuma? Aren't you afraid that it would fail?" Rhode asked, but Allen did not need anyone to remind him of that. He slowly stood up, the purely white cape fluttering slightly. He glanced at his white-gloved hands, his face cringed with sheer disgust as he went to the table beside him and pulled out a clean tissue gently, wiping every corner of his hands and fingers carefully. The silver-haired teen threw away the dirty tissue into the bin as he turned around and faced the little girl who was anticipating his reply.

"No worries. If it fails, then at that time, I will do it myself."


	10. Promise Made

**Chapter 10: Promise Made**

_"Heard that that raven-haired guy is one of the strongest Exorcists, and you just send one puny Akuma? Aren't you afraid that it would fail?" Rhode asked, but Allen did not need anyone to remind him of that. He slowly stood up, the purely white cape fluttering slightly. He glanced at his white-gloved hands, his face cringed with sheer disgust as he went to the table beside him and pulled out a clean tissue gently, wiping every corner of his hands and fingers carefully. The silver-haired teen threw away the dirty tissue into the bin as he turned around and faced the little girl who was anticipating his reply._

_"No worries. If it fails, then at that time, I will do it myself."_

* * *

_"You promise that you will heal him when I agree to your conditions. Please do not forget."_

"Are you going to keep that promise?" The Millennium Earl turned to look at the dark one sitting at one far corner of the library, his face hidden by a book in his hands. The old man did not say anything, turning back to the table in front of him and continued to write something down on the paper. Receiving no reply from the other, he removed the thick book from his face, his golden eyes peering at him in curiosity.

"Millennium Earl?" The Earl stopped writing. The cooling air of the air conditioners blew lightly against his face, slowly reducing the heat on his body. The papers shuffled slightly from the touch of the wind from the air conditioners, making soft sounds which echoed through the silent library. Little light entered through the windows, the sky cloudy and grey. Soon, it was going to rain in this area again. He breathed in heavily, staring at the words that he had written in the papers.

"Yes. I don't need another Akuma, since I already have Allen in my hands. With that silver-haired teen in my possession, everything is already set."

The black curls twitched from his position, as Tyki just stared at him silently. It was currently three in the afternoon. Everyone was busy in their jobs at hand. Jasdero and David were out buying groceries for next week's supplies. Lulubell went to scout around and bring back the latest news on the enemy's movements. Allen and Rhode were assigned to retrieve the Innocence found at the outskirts of Aurora City, where some Exorcists were already there to get it as well. It wasn't really a good idea to send Allen to that particular mission when he was just awakened, but he just sent him out, deciding to observe him for the next few months.

"But he is a successful specimen that you have created!"

"That is a failed one," The Earl snapped lightly, feeling a little annoyed. Tyki was slightly astonished by his reaction. The old man adjusted his small spectacles at his nose, peering at the clouds which were constantly moving. The antique clock in the library ticked rather noisily in the distance, reminding him that the time was always moving.

"A failed one?" Tyki asked, not understanding what he meant. The Earl sighed as he put down his pen and closed his eyes, deciding to rest for a few minutes. Ever since he remembered that promise in his mind, his headache had never stopped throbbing before, getting worse whenever he was alone in his room, facing the portrait with him and the Fourteenth inside. So long had he pined for his return, regretted of the pasttimes, and longed for his presence. He had lived for many decades, but none brought him happiness but loneliness.

The grey sky flashed for a moment, before thundered boomed faintly. Tyki turned around and gazed at the dull and lifeless view outside. It always felt so boring staying here. Though there were books to entertain him and keep him away from boredom, he prefered to go back to visit his friends and the cute, sickly child he met when he was still conscious. He never expected his life to be that fulfilling when he worked together normally with humans, sharing their joy and laughter whenever they had achieved something. The dark Noah sighed as he ran his fingers through his thick locks of curls. Sometimes, he was a little tired with the killings.

"Boring!" The Millennium Earl raised his eyebrow, as Tyki let out a loud yawn and stretched himself on the couch, feeling exhaustion sinking into his head and making his eyelids heavy all of a sudden. Maybe it was time for his afternoon nap, he supposed.

"Bye, Earl-san." Tyki said in a monotone voice as he waved and excused himself, walking out of the library quietly. The Earl just stared at him as he exited, before a smile appeared on his face as he chuckled lightly. The chuckles soon stopped, as the smile disappeared, the painful reality sinking in. He never realised that he could be so hesitant in making such a decision, and he wondered whether he was doing the right thing on taking Allen in.

At that time during the battle in Edo, when he and Allen crossed paths, he was stumped immediately by that pure white and utterly familiar appearance in front of him. His heart beat painfully, as he wondered repeatedly on whether he had finally come back to him again. However, painful memories sank into him as well when they started fighting. He still could not forget, and could not forgive the Musician for abandoning his job and duty as a Noah, choosing to seek his own death by helping his mortal enemies instead: Humans. That silver-haired teen didn't even know that he might be deceived by their masks on their faces used to hide their real intentions! Once he left, he did not return again, and this emptiness went on for several years. He travelled to many places, made many connections, and finally came here where it was rumoured that the Fourteenth might be here.

The thunder clashed and boomed louder than before, heavy pelts of rain falling down from the darkened sky. The clear glass windows were soon covered by countless droplets of rain, blurring the whole view. The temperature was gradually dropping automatically. The chill slowly crawled up his arms, its coldness taking away the remaining warmth from his body.

_Promise me._

His eyes softened at that phrase which rang in his head. It was such a long time ago, and he could just ignore the whole matter, pretending that everything had never happened. He could use his authority to control the situation, but as he thought, he realised that he couldn't do it. He had really wondered, why Allen could interest him to no end, and why he could waver his hardened emotions so easily. Was it because of his determined voice that was drawing him to him unconsciously? Was it because of the familiar shadow of Fourteenth he had behind his back? Or was it because of his deep concern towards an Exorcist he was so deeply in loved with? He had never admitted this, but it was rather obvious.

_Promise me, that you will return him back to normal._

What right did he have to order him to do that kind of promise? He even did not have the position to talk conditions to him. He only could agree silently to the demands he wanted from him. He had no other choice to make but to make a deal with him, in order to save people who were important to him.

In order to get his whole attention to himself, he had made such a ridiculous condition to keep him forever at his side. He couldn't believe how possessive he was in getting Allen all by himself. This showed how important and precious Allen's existence was to him. Never once was he so greedy in his whole life, but Allen was all he needed. All...he needed.

"Allen Walker..." He murmured softly. The promise would be kept. The current Him would probably be unaware about the deal he had made with the previous Him, but he would keep that promise that held so little significance to the whole aim he was heading. Or maybe he was wrong. If that promise was not kept, the path towards his goal would be lost forever.

And keeping that promise...might cease some guilt towards the silver-haired Noah. Towards the Fourteenth.

The Earl stood up from his seat and walked towards the door. As his hand reached out and opened the door, he stopped, a thought constantly in his mind when Tyki mentioned it.

He was supposed to be summoned back and join the family. It was one way to give a great blow towards the Exorcists of the Black Order. However, with the promise in its way, it was already unnecessary. He wondered whether it was right not to take him back as well. But, as what he had said, Allen was all that he needed to accomplished the final task he had in mind. He won't make a difference.

"Failed one..." Those words lingered at his lips. He did not need to be reminded of that. The Earl sighed as he walked out of the library, the door slowly closing in behind him.

* * *

_Come here, Yu. _

_He walked up to his father who was wearing a smile on his face. His big and warm hand landed on his small head, patting it gently. He looked downwards, before he smiled, feeling so happy inside._

_Come here, Yu._

_Little Kanda's eyes widened slightly, as he turned and looked up at his father, except that he wasn't his father at all but someone else; someone he totally did not know about. He also had the same stance: he wanted to pat his head, but this time, he ran away. As far as he could, searching for his real father._

_No, Yu. I am your father._

_Little Kanda stopped in his tracks, his horrified eyes stared hardly at the ugly person who somehow appeared in front of him. That crooked smile on his face made him more frightened. His little body just froze there, waiting as the man bent down and hugged him lightly._

_My previous Yu. My precious child._

Kanda woke up with a start, his eyes snapped open suddenly as he saw the view moving in front of him. He then ruffled his fringe slightly, realising that it was just a dream; a childhood dream which had been a very long time since it came back to haunt him.

It went back to the days when he was very young, living together with the samurai clan in Japan. At that time, people were already suspicious that he wasn't the son of the clan leader, who was his father, because their appearances totally differed. But his father put all trust into him, insisting that he was his son and only son.

_"Yu is my only son, and no one is going to say anything about it!"_

That sentence silented everyone, and no one ever talked about this matter again. His father had the authority over everyone, and everyone had to listen to what he said, no matter whether they wanted to raise objections or not. He was very happy that his father acknowledged him as his proud son, and all the more he wanted to work hard and become a full-fledged samurai quickly, to show his father that he was as capable as him. He trained day and night with little rest, and he would observe his father's training to improve his skills as well. Sometimes the two of them would have a friendly spar. Of course, his father always won, but one day, he was going to defeat his father by his swordsman skills.

One day, he was studying in his room, when the wooden doors opened. He turned around and was slightly stunned to see his father standing there.

"Come with me, Yu," He said. Kanda noticed his deep frowns and the grim look on his face, but he didn't probe about that as he followed his father out of the house. The two of them just strolled silently on the empty path that led to the flower garden that they had at the back. Kanda stared at his father's back, wondering what his father wanted to do at this particular moment. He was curious, yet he had an uncomfortable feeling about this.

"Father?" He asked. The adult did not reply, continued to walk forward. Kanda skipped across the stone steps, couldn't understand what this was all about. They reached the sakura tree, where his father stopped. Kanda looked up, seeing countless cherry blossoms fluttering across the white sky, painting it a shade of pink. He turned towards the pond, his eyes widened as he ran towards it.

"Look, Father! The lotuses have bloomed!" He exclaimed, running to the side of the pond and squatted down, observing the small, whiteish pink flowers gliding smoothly on the waters, not shaken by the ripples. He gasped, stunned by their beauty. As he turned, wanting to show his father this, he realised that his father had not spoken a word, or moved from his current position.

"Father?" He asked warily, a little scared about this awkward situation. He stood up and walked over to the adult.

"Yes. The lotuses had bloomed, Yu."

"Father?" Kanda stopped in his tracks, feeling strange about this whole conversation which didn't seem to go nowhere. The adult then slowly walked towards him, his hand wanting to reach out to him. Kanda just stood there, feeling the gentle and warm touch of his father's big palm. He did not know why his father did this all of a sudden, but he felt happy inside.

"I'm sorry, Yu."

"What?" Before Kanda could finish; before he could see his father's kind look on his face; before he could give his father he loved so much a hug, the vision in front of him slowly faded into the darkness. As he slowly sank downwards, not understanding why his father did this, he could only hear a string of words, before he became unconscious.

"Forgive me, my precious child. It is because of the bloom of the lotuses, that I have to make a decision."

And it was at this very moment, he realised that he had been betrayed...completely by his very own father he once loved so much.

**xxx**

When he opened his eyes once more, he could no longer remember what had happened a few hours ago, but as he opened his eyes, he just saw the whole village into flames. People were running away, fleeing from the home that they had lived for years. Everything was all destroyed, and corpses were lying everywhere as well, staining the whole grasspatch with a crimson colour of red. He, a small teenager of just a mere ten, just stood there as he tried to absorb this situation.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his small wrist. He was being swung around hardly, as he stared straight into the angered eyes of a particular middle-aged lady carrying a baby at her chest. That darkened face and that pair of cold and scary eyes frightened him. She just glared at him hardly, wanting him to feel the burning hatred she had towards him.

"I curse you! I curse you for doing all of these! You will regret it one day!"

He couldn't understand a word that she said. She continued screeching painfully into his ears and his head, jabbing him with curses and heartless words to speak to a child. They were like venom, slowly poisoning him to death.

"Hey, why are you still there? We have to leave!" Someone grabbed her and asked her to leave quickly. She stopped and glared at him darkly once more, before she left. He just stood there, surrounded by the licking red flames which were devouring everything in its way. Her hurtful words rang constantly in his head which acted like sharp razored knives slashing him in different directions. The raven-haired teen then looked at his hands. His eyes widened in horror.

There was blood stained on them. He then realised that there was a sword lying on the ground as well, just right beside him. The dark crimson colour was slowly covering the shimmering blade of the sword, turning it into a black blade. Sapphire eyes just continued to stare at it, seeing the blood slowly formed a pool beside it. Wooden houses started tearing down, collapsing onto the ground with a loud thud.

He screamed, his piercing voice screeching through the air as he screamed again, and again, and again. What was he exactly doing when he was unconscious? Or was he really unconscious? Kanda screamed, clutching his hurting head. He couldn't understand anything. Why did his father spoke those words; those words that really hurt so much. Why was he apologising to him? Why were the villagers' cold eyes showing such detest and disdain towards him? Why had he done?

He shook his head continuously. He just couldn't understand anything.

"Do you want to become stronger, Kanda Yu?"

His eyes blinked, hearing someone talking to him. He saw a shadow standing in front of him. He looked up, seeing no one's face. That black stranger hid his face in his hood, unable to see who he really was.

"Do you want to become stronger, Kanda Yu?"

He was holding something in his hand. He looked closely, realising that it was a small lotus flower in a large hourglass. That pink-stained flower reminded him too much about the encounter with his father who had betrayed his feelings towards him. Kanda hissed in anger and slapped it hardly onto the ground. To his surprise, it did not shatter.

"It will not shatter easily," The stranger said, bending down and picked the hourglass in his hand. His hands clenched tightly, couldn't forget what had happened earlier on, and couldn't forgive his father for doing this to him. Fear left him eventually, replaced by red anger and black hatred which clouded his eyes, turning them into a dark sapphire blue. A smile just crept up to the stranger's face, as he knew the answer.

"I shall grant what you want, Kanda Yu." Before he knew it, he felt raging burns of fire shrouding his skin and entering his heart. He screamed again, feeling his flesh tearing as the burns moved across his chest forcefully. It only last for a few seconds, as he collapsed when it ended. His face looked sideways, towards the stranger who was standing there.

"Show me what you got, Kanda Yu. This will help you when you are in a dangerous situation, but there will be a price to pay." He put the hourglass onto the ground, in front of his eyes to see it clearly. Kanda just stared at the lotus flower blankly.

"When you start using its power, the lotus petals will start to fall and wither. Once all the petals fall to the bottom of the hourglass, you die."

Kanda's eyes widened.

"Wait -" He then realised that the stranger had disappeared. He groaned inwardly, staring at the hourglass which was given to him. His hands clenched, grabbing some sand by his fingers, his eyes narrowed angrily. He felt something at his wrist and turned, seeing a white-bead bracelet settling on it.

_Remember, what your life is really worth._

"What are you thinking about, Kanda?" Kanda opened his eyes again, staring at Marie who was sitting at the left side of the wooden wagon. The raven-haired swordsman grunted and looked outside, wondering why he was reviewing memories that he did not want to remember, but somehow, something was amiss. Some parts seemed to be missing from the whole story...or was it his imagination?

"Look forward." Marie and Kanda turned to stare at General Tiedoll who had stopped drawing for a while. He leaned against the wooden boxes, his eyes staring far at the white sky which stretched on endlessly. That kind grey eyes softened as a smile appeared on his face; a smile looking towards the future.

"Don't keep looking back. Let it go, and move forward. There is no meaning if you keep reminding yourself about your past, Yuu-kun." Kanda stiffened at that statement. General Tiedoll turned to stare at him, his eyes wanting to convey him something. The faint sun crawled out of the clouds, shining on their bodies. The raven-haired swordsman then chose to close his eyes. He wasn't really avoiding that old geezer's eyes. He was just a little...astonished by those wise words.

It was no meaning to cling onto the past that he did not want to remember. Of course he knew that, yet he just couldn't put it down. It was the only clue to finding his true identity. He wanted to find out what his father meant in the end, who that stranger really was and the truth behind the massacre of the village. Was it really him who did it, or was there something more than this? Furthermore, he wanted to remove that horrid curse he had at his chest, clinging so tightly to his thumping heart which reminded him that burning pain when the curse was transferred from his hand to him.

There was no way to forget...but something was missing.

"Che. Shut up, old man," Kanda said. General Tiedoll started laughing, to his greater annoyance. Marie just smiled, glad that everything was back to normal. The hoofs of the horses clattered on through the dirty road as they were reaching the next town. Miranda had returned to the Order to deliver the Innocence and the report about their journey, as well as to convey an important message to the Supervisor of the Science Department.

* * *

"What?" Komui exclaimed as he nearly spilled the coffee out of his mouth, staring at the Exorcist who had just returned from her mission. Reever was just standing at a corner, cleaning up the shelves while eavedropping on their conversation. Miranda was just standing in front of his desk, feeling uncomfortable about the tension in the office. Komui realised that he startled her, and mumbled an apology.

"So, how's Kanda-kun then?" Komui asked, adjusting his spectacles as he took the report that she had just handed in, flipping open to read it.

"Um, currently he is fine. There seems to be nothing wrong after he was brought back, just a few minor injuries that he probably got it a few days ago." The woman stopped and fidgeted, thinking of what she should add on. Reever approached the desk and began cleaning up the papers which were all over the place. He glanced at Miranda for a moment, seeing that grim face which he had never seen on that woman's face often. He wondered what had happened, and why was Komui so astonished at her words?

"Okay," Komui nodded his head, his eyes focusing on the documents in his hand as he continued to read. He paused for a while, his eyes turned towards the hourglass on his desk. The lotus flower was withering faster than he thought. He grimaced, rubbing his face with worry. Was it a right decision to send Kanda out to find the Innocence and Allen? Or was he making his health condition worse? Either way, he did not want to imagine it. The Supervisor just sighed, pressing at the middle of his forehead lightly by his finger.

"Do you find anything strange about Kanda-kun?" Miranda was a little surprised by his question. She peered at the ceiling and pondered.

"I...don't think so. Or am I wrong?" She mumbled, worried. Komui frowned at her reply. According to the lotus petals that had dropped, there should already have some symptoms surfacing, yet none of them noticed anything? Was Kanda aware of his real condition? Komui closed the file in his hand, feeling the stress that was slowly killing him. He turned around, facing the window. What did the Millennium Earl want? Was Allen really going to betray them eventually? Was Havleska's reading wrong?

"But Supervisor," Komui heard Miranda's voice as he turned around, looking at her. The woman gave a hesitanting face, but breathed in deeply as she decided to say it.

"Komui-san, there might be a possibility that...Allen might be coming."

* * *

Lavi's eyes widened in shock as he just stared at Lenalee in astonishment, not believing what his ears had received. Lenalee was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath as she ran all the way from her room to the library after hearing the news.

"It's...It's true! Miranda...Miranda has come back! She was with Kanda and the others before she return to hand over the Innocence! She..." Lenalee took in a deep breath, before she finished her sentence.

"She might have the latest news on how Kanda is doing."

Lavi was stunned completely, not knowing how he should react. Many months had passed since he disappeared without a trace, and when he found out the truth from Lenalee that he went off in search for Allen, he did not know whether he should be glad or worry about it. In one hand, it showed that he really cared for that Moyashi, but in the other hand...

"That's..." Lenalee stared at the redhead who slowly sat up, his eyes which had been staring at the floor for quite a while. Lavi settled more comfortably in his seat, before emerald eyes looked up at her.

"That's great. I...I'm glad that he...he's fine." Lavi managed to finish his sentence, before he looked down and covered his exhausted face with his hands. Lenalee's eyes softened. Lavi was really shaken even though he was trying to hide his emotions from her. He had been worrying so much for Kanda when he suddenly disappeared. It was really a heavy burden taken off when he heard this great news. It was all he needed to hear, to finally put his anxiousness at ease.

"Lavi..." She bent down and hugged him gently. Lavi just sniffed in silence, burying himself into her warm embrace as he started to cry softly. He always hated crying, because that showed that he wasn't strong enough to face the obstacles coming in his way. Because of this, no matter what happened, he would force back his tears and cast his emotions away. Afterall, a Bookman had no need of a heart. Emotions were unnecessaryand would hinder him more. But, after all these incidents which happened, he could not cast away the truth that was lying in front of his eyes anymore.

"I'm really so relieved that Kanda's alright. Really, I was so worried sick about him," Lenalee murmured softly, the two of them continued to hug each other for comfort. Lavi managed to control himself and wipe away the tears, getting out of the embrace. His face was slightly red, embarrassed at what he had done. He just chuckled softly, a smile lit on his wet face.

"Sorry. Really...sorry."

"You do not need to say that, Lavi! I understand how you feel!" Lenalee exclaimed as she shook her head vigourously, a little embarrassed at this awkward situation as well. The two of them just stared at each other silently, before they broke into laughter, feeling a little silly at their reactions.

"Yep, you are right." Lavi replied, having a weak goofy grin on his face. Lenalee just smiled, glad that he was finally back to his old self.

"It...really put a great load of burden down my shoulders when I hear this news. I'm going to punish Yuu-chan for this when he returns. Geez, making me so worried about him," Lavi said, wiping away the remaining tears at his eyes. Lenalee had to agree with the redhead for this. If only there were more available Exorcists in the Order, or else she and Lavi would follow him to search for Allen. The olive-haired Exorcist sighed, before she turned to peer at Lavi.

There was something which she had been puzzled for a while. So many things have happened to the Order, making it a dangerous place to live, yet why were Lavi and Bookman still willing to stay here? Shouldn't they...be leaving soon? Lenalee flinched slightly as she felt a slight wrench and tightness at her chest.

"Lenalee, are you okay?" Lavi asked. Lenalee just smiled and shook her head. She turned away from his worrying gaze, wondering why she was feeling so weird for the past few days, especially when she was with Lavi. Sure, she was rather close to Lavi these days due to Kanda and Allen's absences, but this wasn't right either. Lenalee stared at the redhead's eyepatch at his left eye, confused.

"How is Yuu-chan doing?"

"I'm not very sure. We will find out when Miranda returns." At this moment, the door opened from behind. Lenalee and Lavi turned around to find Miranda stepping into the premises rather coincidentally.

"Miranda!"

"Lenalee!" Both of them ran towards each other and hugged tightly, so happy to see each other again. Lavi just smiled, happy that Miranda wad able to return to the Order. This place was becoming too quiet that he was slightly frightened by the eerie silence which lurked. It had been like that, ever since Kanda and Allen left. At these recollections, Lavi let out a soft sigh, putting his head on his knees gently.

Both girls finally broke their embrace, as they stared at each other and laughed softly. Miranda went to sit down, as Lenalee sat down as well. The woman just pondered for a moment, before she looked up and faced them.

"The both of you might have known that I was with Kanda-kun and General Tiedoll before I return, right?" She asked. Both Lenalee and Lavi nodded their heads.

"How is Yuu-chan doing?" Lavi asked.

"He's fine. Just some cuts and bruises from the encounter in the virtual world that the Innocence which trapped his consciousness inside." At this sentence, Lavi and Lenalee stared at her in astonishment, which made the woman more nervous than ever. She got into a fluster, wondering whether she had done anything wrong.

"Wh-What?"

"Kanda's...trapped in the virtual world of the Innocence? I never heard this before," Lavi said, still slightly shocked. It was so rare of that samurai to be so careless in doing his work.

"So is he alright, Miranda?" Lenalee asked hastily, getting up and walked up to her, holding her hands tightly.

"Y-Yeah. I manage to get him out. He's okay. Nothing serious happened to him." Lenalee heaved a sigh of relief, letting go of her hands. Lavi felt relieved as well.

"But,"

Both turned to her again, wondering what she would speak this time.

"But?" Miranda just stared at their anxious faces, before she sighed.

"Something is wrong. Someone seems to be manipulating behind the scenes. Someone...seems to know what we are doing, and is trying to destroy it." Lavi just pondered by himself on what she had said, before his eyes widened.

"Don't tell me..." He turned to Lenalee, who had the same worried face as him. They both turned to Miranda, as the three of them were silent.

* * *

"Allen, you have not been saying the truth for the whole time."

"What are you talking about?" Allen feigned ignorance as he continued staring outside the window, pretending that nothing had happened. The youngest Noah just laughed instead, jumping off the old sofa as she walked towards him. She slowly crept towards him, wanting to jump in front of him and scare him for a second, but as she walked up to him, she stopped, seeing Allen's expression.

"Aren't you going to scare me from behind?" It was Rhode's turn to stiffen slightly at that comment, but only for a second. Receiving no reply from the other, Allen turned around and stared at her, wondering what happened.

"What happened?" Rhode just blinked, staring into that pair of deep golden eyes, before she turned away.

"Nothing happened." Allen just raised his eyebrow at her reply, before he stood up and walked to the old sofa, sitting down on it. The silver-haired teen examined the couch as he pressed his weight lightly on it, before he put up his legs and lied down, getting comfortable.

"Allen, that is my seat!" Rhode whined as she ran to him, hitting his thighs rather hardly by her small fists. Allen growled softly by his lips and stopped her hands, telling her silently not to do this. Rhode shot him a rather fierce glare that stunned him for a moment, before she produced a smile and pulled her hands away from his, turning around. Staring at the dull-coloured and dirty wall in front of her, her eyes slowly softened, as she slumped down on the floor, leaning against the sofa. She then felt her hands, which was exceptionally warm.

What was she thinking?

"You said that I have been lying all these while, isn't it?" Allen asked, peering at his black nails before playing with his fingers to spend his boredom. Rhode just sat there, not deciding to answer. Allen sighed as he closed his eyes, putting his hands down.

"Yes. Actually, I have already made my move. I already knew that they were going to get the Innocence, and I knew that they would be able to send it back to the Order safely. In fact, I think the Exorcist should already have arrived." Allen said, peering at the ceiling blankly.

"Then, why?" Rhode asked, using a colder tone this time. It was slightly obvious that she was angry with this outcome, but Allen ignored it completely. He gazed at the light that shone from its source, raising his black hand and tried covering the light, but some light seemed to be able to escape his hand and shine downwards.

"Haven't you forgot the emotions you have for that raven-haired Exorcist, Allen?" Allen stiffened, his eyes widened in slight astonishment as his heart responded with a harder thump on his chest. At this moment, he felt exposed, his existence which was hidden so well to be discovered by someone. He held his hand in the air, staring at it as he clenched it tightly. He gritted his teeth in frustration, before these fluctuating emotions slowly slipped away, replaced by his emotionless expressions.

"No. It is because of this, that is why I used the Innocence to send him an important message." This seemed to surprise Rhode slightly, but she didn't turn around to show him her beautiful face expression. Allen peered at his clenched hand, his eyes narrowed as thoughts played in his head.

It was true that he did manipulated the Innnocence, trapping his consciousness inside, but the real aim was different. Rather than to say it was to convey an important message, it was more of...checking something out; about that person who couldn't get out of his head, no matter how many times he erased him. As he created that virtual world, his own consciousness would also be sent in. That means that the Allen Walker in that virtual world was the real person as well. However, he regretted kissing him. That move was meant to tease and humiliate that samurai's pride, but it seemed to create an opposite effect onto him, and onto that person as well.

Allen hissed in pain, seeing that person more often. It was not his head that pained, but his heart which wrenched when he reviewed his memories; about him. Annoying emotions started to surface, and they were starting to make him confused. Why, after all these while of erasing that hateful past and freeing himself from their grasp, was he recalling that person's name? And once again, he was completely stumped by this feeling, just like that time...

Rhode turned around as she heard a loud, crushing sound coming from behind. The pen that Allen had been holding all these while, was broken into little bits as the Noah released his hand and let them fall onto the ground. The silver-haired teen slowly sat up, his white cape moved slightly and in a graceful way from its position. He put his feet onto the ground, standing up as he walked towards the window. The blue-haired Noah blinked, observing him from a distance. Allen's hands were shaking rather violently. Was he cold, or was he controlling that monstrous beast within him which wanted to come out so badly?

At that time, he showed a rather hurt expression, which was not what he wanted all along. It was rumoured that this person was cold and stoic; someone who would not be moved so easily. Yet, was he swayed so slightly by his words? What Allen couldn't understand was that, why was he the one who wanted to bring him back? Why was he, the one who hated him so much throughout the years, wanting to bring him back?

"Let's go." He said. Rhode slowly stood up at her position. Allen turned around, a sweet but rather eerie smile appeared on his darkened Noah face.

"As I thought, I cannot leave this matter to one, puny Akuma. I shall finish this myself."

_And completely erase your existence from my mind._

* * *

Kanda opened his eyes, finding himself unable to sleep properly. He turned and gazed at the dull, grey scenery; an empty place where there were only their existences around. He turned back, seeing General Tiedoll and Marie snoozing at a corner. His eyes narrowed, resting his head on his knees. How he wished he could sleep just like that, but it would be impossible for now...with that silver-haired teen constantly in his mind.

He still couldn't calm down his heart which raced when he was reviewing his memories; all about him. It was so ridiculous, getting so worked up over that useless idiot...but even he could not push away the fact that he was concerned about him, no matter how much he wanted to deny. The raven-haired teen sighed under his lips, tracing his hair strands down his shoulders with his finger. His left arm rested on the edge of the open wagon, gazing at the emotionless sky.

_I love you._

That three words were not real. Yet, he was started to waver so slightly, by those three words. It wasn't supposed to mean anything, yet deep inside, he wished that it would mean something...something which was warm and could lean on to. Kanda hissed as he pressed on the middle of his forehead in frustration. Just what was this supposed to mean? Could someone just explain these strings of weird emotions to him?

Suddenly, he heard wild laughter coming towards their direction. Kanda gripped his sword strapped by his waist and jumped out of his sitting position, dodging an attack which flew straight for him and crushed part of the wagon into pieces. This astonished the horses, as they came to a messy stop immediately. Marie and General Tiedoll had noticed this and woke up, getting out of the wagon.

"Kanda!" Marie shouted, seeing Kanda in midair. Kanda glared at the black enemy who was still laughing crazily away, having all these fun to himself. He did a summersault, seeing Marie's strings coming this way and he grabbed one of those and landed on the ground safely. The three Exorcists stared at the enemy in the sky, wondering who he was.

"Why did he attack Yuu-kun first?" General Tiedoll asked, puzzled.

"Do you know him, Kanda?" Marie asked.

"No," Kanda responded, but his eyes narrowed as he observed this enemy who was flying down towards them. He would not know any Akuma by any chance, but his voice sounded utterly familiar.

The enemy landed on the ground lightly by his dirty feet, standing across them by a stretch of distance. He then paced towards them slowly, an evil grin planted on his face as he held his hand and pulled away the black cape which had been hiding his face for quite a while. General Tiedoll and Marie did not react much to his appearance, but Kanda's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Why...are you here?" General Tiedoll and Marie stared at the swordsman's changed expressions in bewilderment. The enemy just smiled in satisfaction at seeing that horrified look on his face. He stopped, a few metres across them.

"Shocked to see me, Yu?" Kanda's eyes narrowed angrily, his face darkened the minute he spoke. He had never expected such a surprising greeting from the Millennium Earl, but why was he here, with such ugly appearance and the distorted expression he had on his face? He never thought he would meet him again, all these years after the massacre of the whole clan. Kanda hissed, unshealthing Mugen.

"Why are you here?"

At this moment, Kanda's eyes widened. He then knew the missing part to his past memories, and it was all linked to him.

His first friend, ReiKei.

* * *

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